Kiss It All Better
by hollyandhearts
Summary: DEAN X OC! After Dean is hurt badly by a demon, he falls into the arms of Calliope McKenna. Answers are revealed, and secrets are shared, but in the end, who will live to tell the tale? Don't forget to review if you have questions! :)
1. Chapter 1

The streets of Ridgeworth were bare, not a soul in sight. The only sound that could be heard was that of the rain beating down on the barren streets, the same rain that was causing Calliope's hair to stick to her as she walked. Two grocery bags in hand, she made her way back home, trying not to let the groceries spill but trying to retreat from the rain as well. The sky above her churned gray and black as she made her way up the back steps of her house, trying not to slip on the slick wetness.

She set the bags down to open the door, and then made her way inside. She let out a sigh of relief, swept some hair from her face, and removed her soaked shoes to prevent muddy tracks. Her house was warm, and she took comfort in the fact that this dreary place made her feel that way, yet at the same time she couldn't help feeling a dismal feeling in the pit of her stomach as she looked around the place. It was very plain, and even though she had lived in this house for over three years, it looked even simpler now.

As she passed through the house, Calliope heard voices coming from her father's study down the hall. That was quite unusual, seeing as they never had many visitors. Who would be here? She saw her mother, who was sitting in the living room and reading. Andromeda McKenna was breathtakingly beautiful, even as an older woman who in all fairness wasn't really considered old. Every person Calliope met told her she looked exactly like her mother. She didn't dare to think so, they were really nothing alike, yet she heard repeatedly the same; she was as alluring and radiant as her mother, even at 16.

"Who is with father?" she inquired.

"An old friend. I wouldn't interrupt," her mother said softly, her eyes focused on her book.

Henry McKenna, a few years back, had gotten laid off of his job as a police officer, ever since then his family had been struggling to survive. Many changes had been made to accommodate the fact that they no longer had money, they sold their home and downsized immensely. Life was noticeably different. They had lived in the better part of Ridgeworth, Calliope never had any worries, and she had everything she needed. She was always in good company, attending parties and although, by nature, she was extremely shy, she loved to at least try and socialize.

Calliope nodded to acknowlage her mother, and remembered that her clothes were still wet from the rain. She decided to change into something more comfortable. As she passed by her father's study, she noticed the door was slightly ajar; she stayed far away enough so that no one would see her, and she listened carefully. She was not one to pry, but it was terribly unusual for father to have a guest.

"My boy, you've done well with yourself I suppose," her father said.

"Thank you sir, I've tried." Came another voice, slightly younger and deeper sounding than her father's.

"Although, I do not approve with the path you have chosen, such a nasty business being a hunter."

Calliope leaned in a bit closer, worry showing itself in the form of lines on her forehead as she strained to hear.

"I have my reasons for going the way I did, Mr. McKenna."

"Well, Dean, regardless of the danger of the situation; you are always welcome into my house. How long are you saying in Ridgeworth?"

"Only a few days, in fact, I wasn't even planning on staying until I remembered that you lived here, and I thought of paying you a visit, for old time's sake."

Calliope peeked inside the room; she saw her father's face behind his desk, his thin mustache below his nose, his brown eyes focused on the man in front of him as he spoke. And she saw the other man, the back of his head, brown hair. He slouched, she thought, in his chair as though he were quite comfortable in the fact that he was what he was. Had her father said he was a hunter, or was in business with hunters? That she didn't know, but when her father's eyes turned towards the door, she quickly moved away, although she had already been caught spying.

"Calliope, come here child." Her father said

She closed her eyes and let out a disappointed sigh. She opened the door and, still wet, smiled sheepishly at her father. He chuckled a bit and the guest turned around in his seat to see. He smiled slightly, the corner of his lip elevated. When her father motioned for her to come fully into the room, she obeyed.

"What have I told you about listening in on others' conversations?" He said

"I'm sorry father, it was rude of me."

"It's quite alright."

She turned slightly to look at the man again, who seemed to be amused at the fact that she had just been reprimanded. He looked different from the men she saw around London. He wore a leather jacket, and a necklace with a weird emblem on it. She could see the outline of a tattoo under his plaid shirt.

"Darling, this is Dean, he is an old friend from years back. And this is my daughter, Calliope." Her father said, introducing them.

"Hello." She said, shyly

"I forgot you had a girl." Dean said, nodding his head to Calliope.

"Yes, well, run along Callie. Say, Dean, might I invite you to dinner? My wife is an excellent cook; I dare say you won't be disappointed." Her father said

Dean thought about it for a second, and then shrugged his shoulders and nodded his head.

"Callie, do tell your mother that we will be having a guest for supper. And for God's sake, child, change out of those dreadfully wet clothes."

"Yes father." She said

She was making her way towards the door when she heard, "Nice to meet you Calliope." She turned her head to shyly look back and then shut the door. He seemed to be harmless enough, she thought, and if her father had enough sense to have him in their home then she had nothing to worry about. She saw her mother in the exact same spot as she had left her, sitting and gazing at her reading.

"Mother, we are having a guest for dinner, the man who is with father." She said, spooking her mother and making her jump a bit.

"Gracious child, you are so quiet, you frightened me. A guest, for dinner? Lord, how long has it been since we have had someone stay for supper? Alright, darling, tell your father that that is quite alright." Her mother said standing and making her way into the kitchen. Calliope did not want to go back to her father's study, but she hastily obeyed her mother. She stood in front of the door, looking down at her still wet clothes and sighed before softly knocking.

"Yes, come in." She heard her father say

She opened the door, peeked her head in and her father raised an eyebrow quizzically, waiting. Dean looked at her too, nonchalantly but as if he had been interrupted by her knocking.

"My mother said she would love to have you for supper Mr…." she trailed off, not knowing the man's last name, and she mentally kicked herself for phrasing her sentence the way she did. Her mother would love to have him for supper, yes. Completely moronic.

"Just call me Dean, and tell your mother thank you." He said.

She nodded her head, and shut the door. No, she would not tell her mother 'thank you'. Perhaps later, for she desperately needed to change into something dry. She moved down the hall, a bit further, and entered her room. It was small compared to what she used to sleep in, but in all truthfulness, she couldn't care less. It did not take much to make Calliope happy. Whether she was rich or poor, it didn't matter at all because she didn't need a lot. She opened her dresser and inspected what little clothes she had left, again, not that it bothered her any.

She removed the wet clothes and let them fall into a mess at her feet, she glimpsed at the mirror, at her not-quite-red-not-quite-yellow curls that were now flat against her face. Calliope wiped the strands from her eyes and then let her hair fall down. She picked the blouse, her delicate fingers fastening the buttons, and when she was fully dressed, she still did not look presentable. She sighed, oh well; it was not as if she needed to truly impress anyone. Dean certainly didn't care, by the way he dressed, although it was quite entertaining and a bit odd, and he did seem to pull it off. Perhaps he wouldn't even notice.


	2. Chapter 2

Calliope settled on her bed, wondering if her mother was fussing over supper, and deep down knowing she was. Her poor mother; she never really had an opportunity to do such things and Calliope took into consideration that perhaps her mother could use some help.

She rose from her bed and once again she faced herself in the mirror, not to judge herself, but only to have a way to see so she could pin her reddish-yellow curls up and away from her face. She made her way to the door, finally deciding to see if her mother needed her assistance, this resolution sounded much better than sitting in her room for the next little while.

Making her way to the kitchen, she passed by her father's study again. She lightly pressed her ear to the door, but she could hear nothing. Her father and Dean must have already left, she thought. Sure enough, as she passed through the living room, there they were, sitting on the couch, conversing about nothing particularly important. As Calliope passed by, Dean looked up at her, smiled, and gave her a little nod of his head. She looked away. Strangers made her nervous.

She hurried to the steps leading down below to the kitchen; she skipped every other one in an attempt to get down faster.

"Mom?" she asked, poking her head into the little kitchen, "Can I help with anything?"

Her mother smiled sweetly at her and shook her head, her blonde curls moving in rhythm.

"Thank you darling, but I have everything under control, perhaps you should sit with your father, keep our guest company."

She would have given anything not to keep their guest company; her father seemed to be doing very well on his own, but she didn't argue with her mother, she simply obeyed. She loved her mother too much to ever go against her word.

Reluctantly, she went back up the steps, one by one this time. Dean seemed so different. But even though they had just met, she felt an undeniable…something around him. The word wouldn't come to her mind. It made her uncomfortable.

At the top of the stairs, she saw them again, her father, sitting erect and rather proper. And Dean, slouched slightly, one leg over the over, arms spread out over the back of the couch. There was a visible distinction between the two of them, not only in appearance, but in the way that they held themselves.

"I wish I could say that my job picked up after you left, Dean, but as you can see, that is not the case." her father said

Dean nodded and Calliope, in hopes of not disturbing the conversation, quietly seated herself next to her father, and crossed her ankles. Dean's eyes remained glued to Mr. McKenna, genuinely interested in what he had to say, her eyes on the other hand, were on Dean. His light green eyes, the stubble on his chin.

It took a while for her to realize that he was talking to her, and it broke her concentration.

"I'm sorry, what?" she asked

"Are you alright?" he asked, slightly amused

She brought her hand to her head and took a deep breath.

"I'm fine." she said, quietly

"Callie, are you sick?" her father asked, worry showing on his aging face

"I…I. No. I'm fine."

Her father looked at her quizzically, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm fine."

She hoped, she seemed to be acting quiet odd, she imagined, staring uncontrollably at complete strangers. Perhaps she was a bit sick.

"Well, Dean, do tell us. How is business for you?" her father asked, picking the conversation up.

"What can I say, a hunter's life is the best kind. It's pure…" he stopped, and turned towards Calliope, "freedom."

They looked at each other for a moment, with a connection, until her father spoke up, and his eyes faltered.

He was a hunter then. She didn't know how to react, as a once-upon-a–time police officer, her father should be weary of hunters, and he should not want to be in the company on them. Yet, here was one now, sitting in their parlor, about to eat their food, making her act…quite unlike herself.

She could hear her mother coming up the steps and the thanked the Lord, for she would no longer have to sit here and be subjected to such things. Without a word, she removed herself from the couch and made her way to the dining table, and everyone followed her lead.

The rest of the night was a blur, she wasn't really paying attention to anything around her, and she was in her own mind, oblivious to the communion around her. She sat, and ate. Nothing more and nothing less. The only time she entered back into the real world was when she reached out for her glass, and felt Dean's hand just as he had reached for his, as they were sitting on opposite sides of each other across the small table. It startled her; he seemed not to notice that anything had happened.. It was only a brush. Yet it startled her so.

Even when she was done eating, she remained seated, shyly doing nothing. She was grateful that no one talked to her, other than to ask her to pass this or that. She felt heavy and tired, she wanted sleep, and she was taken from her own little world again when Dean stood up, followed by her mother and then her father. She stood up as well and they all headed toward the parlor.

"I really should be going. If I want to reach Wight tomorrow, I have to leave tonight." Dean said, running his hands along his chin, thinking. "Thank you for dinner. It was really nice." he said, talking to her mother.

She seemed slightly taken aback but she shook his hand regardless, and after he shook her father's hand, he held his hand out to her and she took it. Her heart skipped a beat. He smiled.

"Nice to meet you." he said to her, and she nodded as he released her hand

And then he left. She rushed to the window and pushed back the curtains to see him. It was pitch black out on the streets so she could not see which way he had gone but she smiled slightly.

"Callie, come away from the window." her father ordered, and she obeyed.

"He was nice." her mother said, sitting

"He's a good boy, despite his recent decisions."

"What did you think of him dear?" her mother asked

She thought about it, not quite knowing. It had been a fascinating ordeal.

"He was…interesting." she said, and with that she kissed her mother goodnight, and made her way to her bedroom to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

-Four years later-

Calliope sat expressionless as she looked out into the despairing night, the view out her window was obstructed by the heavy raindrops that had gathered along the glass but she didn't mind because she wasn't even paying attention. The house moved beneath her when thunder followed the lightning that streaked across the sky, and every so often it would startle her and shake her concentration.

She felt as if she had been in the same position for the past six months; sitting on her bed, blankly staring out the window. Of course, realistically, she had done more than that in the period of six months, but it all felt like a blur, whirling around her. The predicament she was in was not a fair one, it was not ideal; it was heartbreaking and upsetting. But what else was she to do? Her mother was gone and life itself seemed to be unworthy of living. Colors were dull, smells were muted and even the sounds of existence were mere annoyances. Life was no longer beautiful.

The way it all came to pass was still a mystery to Calliope, how it could have even happened was mind boggling. Her mother, who had been out among the earlybirds in the neighborhood on the crisp fall morning had come home complaining of a headache. It was small at first, but it quickly worsened so much so that it sent her mother to her room for the night. The next morning, the headache had restricted her mother to her room, all light shunned from her presence, for the rest of the day. On the third day when the headaches had not even given way and tiny bumps had begun to rise on her skin, her father called for a doctor.

Flu, the doctor had said, the beginning of flu. All color left her father's face and he collapsed in the nearby chair. The question of it being curable was brought up by her father, although he already knew the answer. Calliope knew herself too, despite centuries of the flu circulation, nothing could be done about the more severe stages.

The doctor gave them strict instructions to say their last words, pack their things and leave. He explained to them that the flu was very contagious and caught on quickly. He said it was a blessing that they hadn't already contracted the disease. The doctor told them how her mother would be moved to a hospital where other flu patients were held until...he had stopped, everyone in the room knew the last words. Until she died. He promptly left to arrange transport after giving his condolences, afraid that he may catch the revolting ailment.

Calliope looked to her father, who had begun to sob. The full effect of the situation had not hit her until that moment, for she had never seen her father cry. She thought her father incapable of producing tears as a child due to the fact that nothing fazed him. Thoughts raced through her mind; how on earth had her mother been infected? Why? What had her sweet, beautiful mother done to deserve this death sentence? Her father started to ramble, he talked of how he had no idea where they were to go, what they were to do without Andromeda. He ran around the house, grabbing things of no real value such as cups and books and he occasionally stopped to put his head in his hands and cry like a small frightened child.

He yelled orders out to Calliope who only wanted to see her mother; it was all happening so quickly. Her father left her to do what he had commanded as he went to the room where her mother lay and shut the door behind him. But Calliope just sat on the couch, unaware that tears were streaming down her face, or that she was shaking rather violently. After two hours her father emerged from the room, his eyes red and swollen, sunken deep into his face. He did not say a word but instead began the duties he had left for his daughter two hours before.

Calliope slipped into her mother's room, shut the door and burst into tears. It's alright, her mother assured her. It was her time. She loved her so very much. Even in a time when her mother knew her life was at an end, she was brave and carried herself as a leader. Calliope cried even harder when she thought of how brave she herself was not. Her mother told her she had best leave now, because she could not stand to see her daughter get sick as well and she didn't want Calliope to remember her the way she looked at the moment; minor and grey in color, covered in bumps and sweat and death.

Her mother had accepted her fate, but Calliope would not let it go. She was not a fighter, but she fought it until the doctor returned and her father dragged her from the room, both of them crying. The last words her mother said to her were to never be afraid. Never be afraid of what her heart told her to do. To always be strong. Never be afraid.

Her mother had died eight days later, she had heard, in the care of nurses who risked their lives to be with the patients until their last breaths. They had moved to the coast, to a little town called Folkestone to get away, to get away from memories, from the sickness. Shortly after, her father started to drink heavily; he would come home every night, drunk and then pass out. After the alcohol had ceased to be magic for her father, he moved onto Opium and he would be out for several days. Her life, for the past six months had consisted of taking care of her drugged father, of hiding his drinks, trying to sober him up, of sobbing at odd hours of the night and staring out the window from in her bedroom.

The sound of thunder came again, again and again. Then she began to realize that it wasn't thunder, but that someone was knocking furiously at the door. She stood up, sighed and turned on the light by her bedside table. The knocking continued, heavy and persistent.

"I'm coming!" she said under her breath

She opened the door and was instantly hit with rain. She wiped it from her face and saw a man leaning in her doorway, his hand clutched to his stomach. It was a chilling sight, one that might have been written out in a book about spirits and other unworldly things that made young women faint and swoon.

"Can I help you?" she asked over the storm, a bit weary

He did not have time to reply, for he doubled over and fell to the floor at her feet. She screeched and kneeled down beside him, not quite sure what to do. The man was lying on his stomach, his face turned away from her, filthy and soaking wet. She remembered the storm and shut the door to keep the weather outside where it belonged. She grabbed flashlight off the table and shone it on the body below her feet. She had not noticed the puddle of blood that was beginning to pool around the man until she stepped in it. Suppressing her horror, she began to panic. She grabbed the man's face and turned it towards her and she was struck dumb. She knew this man, knew his face, but from where? Everything about the man was so familiar, it scared her. Then, the name formed on her lips.

"Dean."


	4. Chapter 4

Calliope let her fingers hover above Dean's face for a moment and then removed the rain soaked hair from his forehead, which was hot to the touch. Not only was he wounded somewhere, but he was beginning to get ill, she suspected. She needed to help him. No. What she needed was a doctor; she knew nothing of healing people. But there wasn't a single chance that she could call upon a doctor in this weather and he could be bleeding out quicker than she knew. She would have to do it alone, to try her best until morning when a physician could be reached.

Her father could be of help too, she thought, unless he was passed out cold in the chair in his small study, pium or alcohol still pulsing through his veins. She stood up and tried to roll Dean's body over so that he was on his back. She strained herself, her hands slipped in his blood and she shrieked. She couldn't budge him, much to her avail. She quickly turned on her heels and ran to her father's study, her blood covered, quivering hands trying to turn the slippery silver knob. She resorted to pounding on the door with her fists; if he was asleep he would surely hear her.

"Father!" she called, desperately trying to open the door, this time her hand did not slip around, but instead made contact and she opened the entrance to her father's den. Calliope, who was not surprised in any way to see her father completely absorbed in his drink, ran over to him. His eyes were open, and he was staring into the fireplace, the flames licking the sides of the stones in which it was held in.

"Father?" she asked as she knelt beside his chair, "Can you hear me?"

He continued to stare blankly at the pit of the fire, his concentration consumed by it.

"Father, please, I need your help."

He brought the bottle to his lips, took a swig and grimaced as the liquid burnt his throat on the way down.

"Not now, Andromeda." he muttered, his thin mustache bobbing up and down

"Father it's me, Callie. I know you can hear me, and I need your help, please." she said more urgently, knowing there was a man possibly dying in their hallway.

He took a breath as if to say something, but at the last second decided on taking another drink. Calliope stood up and tore the bottle from her father's lips, throwing it to the ground. The bottle didn't shatter, but rather, bounced a few times on the carpet before settling and slowly spilling its contents.

"Stop ignoring me," she stated firmly. "I am not your wife, I am your daughter and there is a man who needs help. He's hurt! Tear yourself away from your precious drink for one moment to help me!"

Her father turned towards her, shocked. Never had Calliope raised her voice to anyone, ever. He stood up, a bit shakily, and then ran his fingers through his thinning brown hair, sighing deeply.

"Someone is hurt, you say?" he asked

"Yes. Please, I can't carry him to a bed, he's too heavy."

"Yes, of course not dear. Take me too him." her father declared, bending down to pick up the fallen bottle and setting it on his desk

Calliope ran out to Dean and once again knelt beside him, putting her ear to his back to try and hear a heartbeat. It was faint, but there. He was still alive. Her father knelt down as well, put his hands under Dean's body and lifted him off the ground with ease as he made his way towards Calliope's room. She followed behind him, stopping at the study to grab a clean pair of sheets and filled a large bowl full of water.

She set the supplies down beside her bed which Dean was occupying, her father stood rather awkwardly by the edge of the bed, not quite sure what to do with himself. She wondered if he even know what was really going on. But he could still be of help.

"I need you to rip this up," she said, throwing the sheets at her father who looked lost, "For bandages."

She hoped he could handle that.

She turned on two more lamps for better light and then looked at Dean, his shirt soaked with blood and she could now see where it was coming from. There was a large tear in his shirt across stomach as if he had been cut. She quickly took off his jacket and put it on the nightstand beside her bed.

She could hear the sounds of thunder and her father ripping the sheets all at once as she reached out with trembling fingers to undo the buttons of his plaid shirt. She pulled her hand back towards her body and took a deep breath.

"I...er...I think I'm done." her father said quietly, handing her the makeshift bandages.

"Thank you." she whispered, "Now I need a bottle of your liquor, to prevent infection."

He left the room like a well-trained pup and she turned back to Dean, as lighting lit the room. The tips of her fingers rested on one of the buttons, afraid to undo it.

"Stop being silly." she whispered

One by one she unhooked the buttons of his shirt to reveal his bloodied chest, then his wounded stomach. The cut ran from his right side to the middle of his belly button and she felt as if the cut were a cavern; deep and dark and unexplored. She looked back at his face, and remembered the first time she had seen it as a sixteen year old girl, almost two years before. Oddly enough, he still looked exactly the same as he did then. Now, he had mysteriously and ironically fell into her care.

Anxiously she let her fingers rest on his rising and falling chest, on an area that had not been too tainted by blood but sheepishly and guiltily removed them when her father entered the room, handing her a bottle. She set it down and took a bandage from the pile, dipped it in the water and set it across the cut. She gently wiped the blood from it, being careful, as if he could feel it all.

After a few times refilling the water bowl, his chest was cleared of all blood, although the cut was still bleeding very rapidly. She kept pressure on the wound, hoping the bleeding would subside. Once it had, she decided that she was so very grateful that he was unconscious, for what she was about to do was going to be extremely painful. She opened the bottle of alcohol and poured some over the cut, she looked over at Dean's face to make sure he hadn't suddenly wakened up. Calliope did this a few more times before reapplying pressure.

"Alright father, I need your help again." she said, motioning for him to come to her side

"I need you to sit him up so I can wrap these bandages around him." she said, stifling a yawn

Her father nodded, slid one hand under Dean's back, the other on his chest, and sat him up straight.

Calliope wondered if her father had any idea who this man was, , or was he just in his own little world, just drunk enough to not want to know?

Her father held him up as she tightly wound several bandages around Dean's stomach and then tied it off in the back. The Doctor was laid back down, and Calliope went to wipe the sweat from her brow until she remembered her hands were covered in blood. She turned to her father as she cleaned her hands.

"Thank you." she said, standing and hugging him

He softly patted her on the head, and then asked if he could go to sleep.

"Yes, I don't need your help for the rest of the night."

"Goodnight darling." he yawed as he turned and left.

Calliope looked to her bed longingly, she was exhausted. But she would have to sleep on the floor tonight in case Dean woke up. She grabbed a blanket and laid it across Dean she then put her hand to his forehead to feel if the fever had gone down but she couldn't quite tell.

"What happened to you?" she whispered.

After she was sure Dean was situated to her liking, she put a blanket and a pillow on the floor and was asleep before she lay down.


	5. Chapter 5

Calliope's eyes fluttered open against her will; she did not want to even contemplate waking up for she was too exhausted to contemplate anything. Yet, her eyes opened anyway but only to find a hand holding a gun not a few inches from her face. She gasped and jumped quickly. Dean stood half up, doubled over, one hand clutching his bare stomac. His face was deep red with concentration and utter pain, she could tell, and he struggled to stay standing; for he was wobbling back and forth.

"Dea-"

"Don't speak." he said with labored breath, through gritted teeth.

She didn't dare look him nor his gun, so she kept her wide eyes on the window, and noticed it was still raining, though, not as it had been last night with terrible thunder and torrents of rain. It was only a drizzle now.

"Who are you?" he demanded, the gun shaking a bit from the intense pain he was suffering. She slowly looked to him, her heart beating against her ribcage, and spoke.

"Calliope Mckenna." she said, barely above a whisper, yet he heard her.

He grunted with pain, the bandage around his midsection was wet with blood. He muttered something foul under his breath.

"Where the hell am I, and what did you do to me?"

Calliope tucked a curl behind her ear, nervously.

"You're in and you're in my home. I did not do anything to you sir, except bandage you up last night." she said

He peered at her and to her he looked a tad bit frightening, especially when he was pointing a gun at her. There was moment of silence, as they both looked at each other and finally she dared to speak.

"You need to lay back down Dean." she said, making a move toward him and expecting to be threatened again. But he let her come close, nearly collapsing in her arms as she used all her feeble strength as she lead him back to her bed. He sat on the plush blankets with a grunt and took a sharp intake of breath as Calliope helped him to get his legs up.

"Are…are you alright?" she asked, stuttering a bit

" Do I look like I-" he stopped to take a deep breath "am alright?"

She blushed pretending to smooth the wrinkles from her skirts, knowing it was an imprudent question. From out of the corner of her eyes she watched his face as it contorted with absolute pain.

"I only want to help you sir. Your bandage needs to be changed or you will get infection." she said quietly

He thought about it for a moment and then nodded his head slowly, giving her permission but he didn't stop glaring at her,

"First though, you're going to tell me how this happened." he said nodding his head in the direction of his abdomen for emphasis.

"I don't know sir. You showed up at my door in the middle of night, and you were already wounded. I suppose you have no recollection of what occurred."

"Course I don't, else I wouldn't have asked you." he barked

Calliope excused his open rudeness due to the fact of his stomach being sliced and all. After a second Dean sighed and allowed her to tend to him. She smiled shyly and cautiously placed the back of her hand to a spot on his forehead and he closed his eyes against her touch. He was excessively warm.

"You have a fever." she said, making her way across the room to the water basin, but when she reached it, it was full of bloody water. She had forgotten to empty it the night before.

"I have to change the water from the basin, I shouldn't be very long." Calliope said, "And please don't move, you're not strong enough to." she added as she left the room, basin in hand

Calliope made her way down the hall, the water in the basin threatening to spill over the sides and she suddenly stopped in front of her father's study. She knew he would be passed out cold, but inside she also knew she had to check on him as she always did when she passed his study. She set the basin on the floor and softly knocked before entering. She peered into the darkness of the room, the only light came from the barely burning embers from the small fireplace.

She could hear her father slightly snoring as she made her way across the room to stand beside him. She hated to see him this way, her father who was once so vigorous and full of life, now so utterly loathed to live at all. She fought back tears when she saw her father still gripping onto his bottle of spirits, she thought about taking it and throwing it out, but upon remembering that she needed to tend to Dean, she decided to leave it. Her father would be out for a few more hours at least. So, she left him to his deep slumber and retreated to the hallway.

When she returned to her room with the basin of fresh water, she was happy to see that Dean had not moved from her bed but she also saw that he was asleep. She set the basin on her bedside table and removed her jacket. Before she began her work, Calliope realized that Dean would not be unconscious this time; that he would feel everything. She would also be touching his bare body, something that made her uncomfortable already and now he would feel that too. But when a little moan escaped from his lips, she forgot about her comfort level and bent down to wake him.

"Dean?" she asked, again feeling his forehead which was still hot to the touch

He opened his eyes, which looked slightly glazed over, looked up at her and after a few moments, spoke.

"What did you say your name was again?" he asked as she dipped a piece of cloth into the basin and wrung it out.

"Calliope McKenna. I need you to sit up so I can unwrap your bandage."

He started to lift his body off the bed, but he was struggling. Calliope placed her hand on his back, helped him into an upright position and begin to remove his binding.

"Have we met before? You look strangely familiar." Dean asked while wincing

Calliope budged uncomfortably and she placed the damp cloth across his stomach and he jumped.

"Yes." she said, soothingly, "A few years ago. You used to be a friend of my father, Henry McKenna. You stayed for dinner one night at our old house in London."

Dean looked at her for a moment and she shifted under his gaze. She could tell when he finally recognized her because his eyes widened and he slowly turned his head sideways.

"You're older, obviously." he said, weakly

She nodded. Across the room she spotted the bottle of rum she has been using the night before and she stood up to fetch it.

"And you moved, apparently." Dean said through labored breath, "Why?"

She sat back down on the bed; the movements making Dean clench his fists at his sides.

"My mother died."

He only nodded his head.

"Sorry about holding you at gunpoint, if I had known who you were I wouldn't have."

She shrugged her shoulders in a dismissal.

"Dean." she whispered as he looked towards the bottle. "This is...it's going to be painful for you. I'm not sure I can do it. I think it would be best if I sent for an actual doctor."

Suddenly, Dean grabbed her wrist and pulled her forward so that she was mere inches from his face. He looked tired and worn and ill.

"You will do no such thing." he growled. She could feel her heart begin to beat uncontrollably out of fear and surprise.

"W...why not?"

"Because the moment that said doctor walks through that door and sees me, he will run to the nearest policeman and report me. I am a wanted man Miss McKenna, and I can promise you that no man will do a thing about this." he said pointing to his stomach

"You're hurting me." she said, barely above a whisper, avoiding his gaze

He looked down and saw that he had a death grip on her wrist. He immediately released her and mumbled an apology.

"I can handle it." Dean said after a second. He picked up the rum bottle and handed it over to Calliope.

She let the bottle hover over him for a moment, trying to find the courage.

"Just do it." Dean growled rather desperately

The second the alcohol hit the wound he shut his eyes tight and tried to keep from screaming. Calliope felt helpless as he cursed out loud, and she suddenly felt the urge to reach out and grab his hand which was frantically clawing at the blankets around him. She gave in, her fingers tightened around his and he did the same. Her hand was being crushed but after a minute his grip relaxed and he let out a sigh.

"Are you alright, Dean?" she asked, taking her hand from his and moving the hair from her eyes

He opened his eyes and nodded.

"It wasn't too bad." he grumbled

He looked down at his wound and cringed, Calliope could tell he looked a bit worried at the depth of the cut.

"'It's pretty deep, it's going to half to be sewn up." he said.

She looked at him, her eyes wide with horror.

"I..cannot do that." she mumbled after swallowing nervously. She could feel herself start to panic. It was one thing to be in the presence of a shirtless man, to help him with infection and deal with his blood, but to stitch him up? She didn't want to think about it.

"You have to."

She shook her head and stood up.

"What if I hurt you?" she whispered

"Look sweetheart, I'm not going to get any worse. I'm already in pain believe it or not." he replied, sleepily

"I'm not a doctor; I wouldn't know what to do." she said, nearly on the verge of tears

Dean cursed under his breath and the room was filled with silence for a moment.

"Look, don't cry about it. You mentioned your father. Is he here or do you live here all by yourself? If I remember correctly, your father used to bandage up policemen when they got shot or something."

"He's here. But he wouldn't be of much use." she told him as she sat in the little chair by the door, "He's passed out, drunk, in his study."

Dean closed his eyes, laid his head back against the pillow and let out a grunt of pain and frustration.

" Alright, for now, wrap me back up and perhaps later, if necessary, you can call for a doctor."


	6. Chapter 6

Dean lay half asleep on Calliope's bed, a newly wrapped bandage around his torso. She felt overwhelming relief due to the fact that she didn't have to stick a needle into his wound or into any other part of him. She left to refill the basin with fresh water and returned to find him desperately reaching over the side of the bed to grab his jacket which lay slightly out of his reach.

"Do you need help?" she asked shyly as he looked up at her

"Yeah, actually. I need-" he stopped to take a deep, shaky breath and lay his head back down. "I need you to hand me that phone there." he said, pointing

She kneeled down, collected the black flip phone, and handed it to him. Dean feebly put his hands together and bowed his head towards her in thanks. He then proceeded to click some sort of button on it, turn it over in his hands and then he gave it a good shake. He frowned.

Calliope had moved the little chair next to her bad and sat down.

"You must be very hungry." Calliope implied, watching as he wrapped his necklace around and around his finger.

He nodded, his eyes drooping slightly.

"Would you like something? I could bring you some food if you'd like." she said quietly, nervously twisting a piece of her reddish-yellow hair around her finger.

At first he didn't answer, instead he again picked up the cell phone and repeated the routine, shaking it more vigorously, frustration registering on his face. She wondered just what he was trying to do and why he needed a cell phone when he wasn't exactly going anywhere.

"If you don't mind I would like a little something, if I'm not too sick to keep it down." he said after he chucked the phone down by his feet

Calliope nodded and made her way towards the kitchen, stopping in front of her father's study once more. She quietly tapped on the door and then peered inside. He was in the exact same spot she had left him in, dead drunk; his head slumped on his desk. At least he hadn't rolled onto the floor, which had happened on a few occasions. She sighed and shut the door, slowly so as to not make a sound.

She stepped into the little kitchen and turned on the overhead lights, there was very little light coming in through the window because the rain clouds were greedily blocking the sun, making it difficult to see anything in the tiny space. With the lights lit, she made her way to the pantry all while feeling wetness about her toes. She looked down, and saw a layer of water across the floor.

She took a deep breath of frustration and looked to the door leading to the alleyway outside; sure enough it wasn't closed all the way and the rain was ceremoniously sneaking its way in through the miniature crack. Nothing was going right today, not at all. In fact, things had not been going right for some years now. She was tired.

By leaning her body against the door and giving it a bit of a shove, she heard the click and stepped back to see the door shut properly. Calliope took the mop that was propped up against the pantry and swabbed the area free of water. She then sliced two pieces from the loaf of bread onto a plate and poured a glass of milk before heading back to her bedroom.

The glass of milk sloshed back and forth a bit, but never fell over the sides as she opened the door. She walked in to see Dean, again, looking at his cell phone in wild determination. She shut the door behind her with her foot and then set the plate and glass on the bedside table. Dean looked from the phone, to her, to the food that she had just set down and then back at her; this was all done very quickly.

"Thanks." he mumbled as he reached for the milk, which he consumed in less than a few seconds. He sighed, grasping for the bread, but defeated, he gave a little moan and laid his arm back down.

"Son of a bitch." he said, his eyes landing on his stomach in hatred. "Stupid, bleeding cut."

"I'll help you." Calliope whispered, handing the plate of bread to him.

He gave her what might have been a little smile, and nodded his head in quick thanks. She shyly smiled back, and greedily shoved the bread into his mouth.

"You might want to slow down." she said

Dean did as she said and after he was finished, she took the dishes and set them back on the small table. Sitting down, she watched him for a moment as he laid his head back and wrinkled his nose; whether it was done out of pain or if it was just a twitch, she didn't know. She watched his chest rise and fall in short little breaths. His breathing was labored; it pained him to take in even a tiny ounce of air.

She was still very uncomfortable having a half-naked man in front of her; even though his chest was very nicely chiseled into what she might have considered perfection although she didn't have anything to compare it to.. She noticed the rhythm of his breathing become less forced as his chest went up and back down much slower than before. When she realized he was asleep, she suddenly became aware of just how exhausted she was and she could not help but to let her eyelids droop over her green eyes; sleep took her over without a question or without her permission. She simply fell into slumber.


	7. Chapter 7

Over the course of almost a week, a routine had come about. Dean would sleep well into the afternoon, Calliope would wake him to change his dressings, and he would fall back asleep. He had thrown up on a few occasions after eating, but it didn't bother her a bit. She was lucky to get four hours of sleep at night, herself. But one night, he was unusually sick; his forehead was slick with sweat and hot to the touch. He was pale, moaning into the night; and when Calliope, exhausted and lethargic, looked over his wound her worst fear showed itself in the form of bright pink skin around the cut—infection.

At that point, she knew there was nothing more she could do for him on her own. He had warned her not to call for a doctor, but she knew of nothing else to do, he would surely die.

"Dean," she said, positive he could hear her, "I have to fetch for a doctor. You're too sick for me handle any longer."

He opened his eyes a bit to see her, and he nodded. He knew his fate as well as she if a professional did not take care of him.

"I'll be quick." she said, "I promise."

She turned to leave as Dean mumbled something to her. She looked back but his eyes were closed again and he said nothing more.

Calliope could hear the echo of her footsteps along street she ventured down. There was a chilly wind that crept along her arms and ruffled the shawl around her shoulders. She was close to the town's doctor, he was located just around the corner luckily and she only prayed he would make a house call so late into the night.

Her knuckles rapped against the wooden door just below the words "Nathaniel Frazier " in bold black letters. She waited a few minutes, worry filling her mind, and then the door opened before her and she was beckoned inside by an older man, slightly taller than herself with sideburns.

The room in which she entered was brought to life by the fire dancing in the fireplace. It illuminated a table littered with books and papers, bottles with varying colored liquids. Mr. Frazier shut the door behind them and stepped into her view.

"What can I do for you miss?" he asked, offering her a seat by the fire.

"I'm in of need your services sir. There is man who is badly wounded and has caught an infection. I'm afraid he might die if you don't help him." she said, sitting in the plush tan chair.

Dr. Frazier picked up a book from the table and thumbed through it.

"Is his wound fresh?" he asked

"No." she answered, "its several days old. I should have called for you sooner; it was extremely foolish of me to think I could take care of it on my own."

He looked up her and nodded and she felt her face burn with embarrassment.

"Well Miss…" he started,

"McKenna."

"Miss McKenna, let me gather my things and I shall take a look at the man. Hopefully he can be saved." he answered

"Thank you."

He left the room, leaving her alone with her own stupidity. She should have ignored Dean and come here sooner, it was beginning to dawn on her that she might have just sealed his fate. No. She couldn't think that way, Dr. Frazier had a good reputation around town, and he would not let a patient die of something as simple as infection. At least, she hoped it was simple.

When Mr. Frazier again entered the room, he told Calliope that he would follow her. Not ten minutes later, they entered her house through the little door leading into the kitchen and made their way to her bedroom.

He was out cold, beads of sweat still scattered on his forehead and bare chest. Her stomach ached just looking at him, and dread filled her.

"I will need more light." Dr. Frazier demanded, setting his bag down

She rushed to her desk and turned on an extra lamp, filling the room with light.

"And his name?" he asked, filing through his bag

She opened her mouth but quickly decided against it. She didn't exactly know his full name.

"Thomas. His name is Thomas." she finally said.

Mr. Frazier cleared his throat before talking.

"Since my assistant is not with me tonight, I will be asking you to help me with a few things, Miss McKenna." he said, motioning for her to come to him and she obeyed.

"We will need to lift him up." he said, his eyes inspecting Dean's wound, "Yes, you should have come to me sooner."

Her heart quickened.

"Can you help him?" she asked while they lifted the hunter into a sitting position.

"More than likely, yes, but it will take a while to fix him up and I cannot promise anything."

She nodded, praying he was right.

First, Dr. Frazier instructed Calliope to fetch a fresh bin of water for him followed by a bottle of alcohol. Once those items were laid before him, he began to work. He washed his hands in the basin and flushed Dean's wound with the alcohol, which caused him to wake; wiggling and howling in pain.

"Hold him still!" Dr. Frazier instructed, flustered.

Calliope took Dean's burning face in her hands instinctively and looked at him, his eyes bloodshot and wide.

"It's alright." she whispered

"What the hell is going on?" he grumbled, barely audible.

"I called for a doctor like I told you I was going to. He's going to help you."

He moaned and shut his eyes.

"That hurt like hell, you could have warned me." he croaked to Dr. Frazier, who paid him no heed.

Calliope realized she still held his head in her hands, and she let it lay softly against the pillow again.

"Now, Mr. Thomas, Miss McKenna, this wound is going to required stitching to help keep infection from reappearing and spreading. I can let you have a few drinks and let them into your system before I do this to ease the pain." Dr. Frazier said, turning his back to them

Dean looked to Calliope, sleepily, with one eyebrow cocked in inquiry.

"Mr. Thomas?" he mouthed

She shook her head and put a finger to her lips as Mr. Frazier turned back.

"Well?" he asked

"Hand that bottle over." Dean commanded

The bottle was handed to him; he tipped his head back and took a long swig, sighing afterwards.

"I need some fresh water." Dr. Frazier announced, and Calliope stood up.

"No Miss. You stay here with him for a few minutes, let the alcohol numb him up a bit, and I'll get the water." he said, grabbing the basin

"There's a sink in the kitchen." she told him as he left

She sat back down and watched as Dean consumed the rest of the bottle.

"You told him my name was Thomas so he wouldn't report me to the police?" Dean asked groggily

"Yes."

"Smart girl." he answered and she smiled shyly at the compliment

Dean set the bottle down and brought his hand his side as he struggled to take in a breath.

"You know," he started, "I don't see why you don't just turn me in yourself. There's a huge reward and you don't know me…." He took in another staggered breath.

"You can't even sit up on your own." she said quietly

"Well, I'm just saying, why are you risking it?" he asked

They looked at each other for a second, the light from the candles flickering and catching the beads of sweat along Dean's chest so that her eyes flickered towards his chest for a moment. Suddenly, Dr. Frazier entered and Calliope let the air out of her lungs that she had been keeping hostage there. She hadn't known how to answer his question. She knew he was a good man, but why was she risking her life for someone she knew nothing about?

"Now," Dr. Frazier said, "Are you ready?" He had the needle between his fingers, threaded and equipped.

Dean lifted his thumb up to Dr. Frazier's face and Calliope turned her head away, not sure if she could sit and watch. She heard Dean take in air between his clenched teeth and saw out of the corner of her eyes his fingers grasp the sheets around him. She could tell he was trying not to let the pain get to him, to be tough. He wanted to believe he could take the pain, but when she turned to look at him, she knew his emotions betrayed him.

He bent his head towards the ceiling, trying to focus on something other than the pain.

"Say something," he whispered, "Help me get my mind off this."

Calliope didn't know what he wanted her to say; even Dr. Frazier looked up in anticipation of her words.

"How old are you?" Dean asked, fingers clawing at his sides again.

"Twenty." she said shyly

"You seem unmistakably mature for so young."

She could feel herself blush as he said this.

"Thank you."

He tried to smile, but couldn't.

Then there was silence for what seemed like an eternity as Dr. Frazier sewed Dean up. He had closed his eyes now, and every once in a while he bit his lip from the stinging of the needle plunging into his skin.

"Finished." Doctor Frazier announced as he tied the string off and cut it.

Both Dean and Calliope looked to the now closed off wound, it was neat and precise and looked infinitely better.

"Miss McKenna, you are to clean this twice a day with alcohol, water and fresh bandages." Dr. Frazier said as he began to clean up.

"Alright." she answered quietly.

Doctor Frazier then reached for Dean's wrist to feel his pulse.

"Your pulse is normal, Mr. Thomas, you should recover quite nicely if Miss McKenna keeps things in shape."

Doctor Frazier began to collect his things all while avoiding the eyes of Calliope and Dean.

Calliope stood up as Dr. Frazier made his way towards the door.

"I will see you out." she said, still unsure as to what had just transpired.

"Thank you."

She followed him into the kitchen and then stopped him by a slightly touching his arm.

"I've forgotten to pay you." she said, embarrassed.

"Do not fret about it." he said

"Oh, I insist, he could have die-"

"Miss McKenna," he said, cutting her off. "I know who that man is in there; I saw his tattoo. I know his name is not Thomas, it's Dean Winchester, and he's wanted all over the and here as well. I see his wanted posters daily."

Calliope withdrew her hand from Dr. Frazier's arm and brought it to her mouth. She mentally kicked herself for being so stupid.

"Oh, please…"

"Do not worry Miss, I won't turn him in. When I became a doctor I swore to help and to take care of anyone and everyone, I shall not exclude hunters from that vow; for they are merely men who have lost their way, but men just the same. I just warn you that others in this town will not be as understanding, Miss. Now, as I said, you're to clean his wound twice a day."

Calliope was speechless for a moment.

'Thank you."

The doctor looked at her for a minute, and then smiled. The kitchen was filled with blue light from the moon and it cast a shadow across his face.

"You're very welcome Miss." he said, as he turned to leave.

A thought came to her suddenly, and she could not let him depart just yet.

"Sir, my father…he, he's very ill. He's very dependent on alcohol and, I know that it would be so much to ask but, tomorrow, could you perhaps stop by and take a look at him? I would be forever in your debt if you would." she said as he turned back to her.

"I will be here." he said, nodding as he opened the small, aged alley-way door.


	8. Chapter 8

Calliope returned to her room, a faint smile present on her lips. She thought it rare to find such a kind man as Dr. Frazier. Upon entering her room, she saw Dean sitting erect on her bed, pure dread plastered on his face.

"He saw my anti-possession tattoo." he said, "He knows."

Calliope sat at the edge of the bed and nodded her head.

"He did see, but he assured me that he wouldn't speak a word of it to anyone." She said

Dean looked at her for a moment, confusion replacing the previous expression.

"He could have lied."

"I don't think so."

He slowly lay back down and shook his head.

"Are you alright, Dean?" she asked, sensing something was wrong, other than his pain

"This hurts like a bitch, I've no idea who did this to me, how I got here or where Sam is. I can't remember a thing and my phone has no signal." The Doctor answered, "And how the hell did I end up HERE? What are the chances that I would run into you, of all people?"

She had thought about this, also. It was quite odd that he should show up at her door, after having moved. It was peculiar.

"Anyway, thank you, for calling the medicine man and...stuff." he said, waving his hand around above his head as he spoke.

"You're welcome, Dean."

He let out a sigh, clutched his stomach for a second until the pain passed, closed his eyes, and yawned.

"I assume you'll be wanting your bed back soon, sleeping in that chair can't be paradise."

"Oh, no, it's fine! Really."

"We could share it." he said, a little smirk playing in the corner of his mouth as he patted the bed.

She stood up, a fierce blush spreading across her face, as she fumbled with her words.

"I...um, no thank you."

Dean gave a small chuckle.

"I'm only joking, sweetheart."

He had an uncanny talent of making her feel bashfully uncomfortable. She heard him yawn again as she sat down in her chair, a faint light appearing on the horizon, turning the room a burnt orange with the day's first traces of morning. He looked over at her and gave her a wink, then closed his eyes to sleep. She smiled and rested her head against the back of the chair, and fell asleep once again.

Calliope gazed at her jaded face in the mirror. She could make out the dark circles under her eyes from lack of sleep and she ran her fingers through her hair before changing into a light green blouse. It was simple and cinched at the waist, the sleeves stopped at her elbows; buttoned at the wrist, but the neckline swooped down low so that her clavicles and the peach skin underneath were shown.

She could hear her father pacing back and forth in the next room, his boots loud and heavy against the wooden floor. She stopped in front of his study and rested her ear upon the door. It was quiet now, and so she knocked softly and heard the mumble to enter.

Her father was seated, facing away from her and looking out the small window.

"Good morning, Callie." he said

"Good morning Father, how are you?"

"Well enough I'd wager." he replied

Calliope shut the door behind her and fully entered the room, feeling a chill that buried itself under her skin.

"Father, it's freezing in here! You'll catch your death!" she exclaimed, rushing to the fireplace to start a fire

"It is? I hadn't noticed."

Her father continued to look out the window, his gaze hazy and far off as if he was remembering something. Naturally, he had a bottle in his hand and every so often he would lift it to his lips and soak in the poison; hoping it would alter something in him, cause a shift of comfort and familiarity.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door and Calliope remembered that she had asked Dr. Frazier to come back and check on her father. She looked to her father, how would he react? Would he be angry with her? He didn't seem to notice the rapping on the door, so she left him where he sat.

She opened the door and saw him exactly as he had looked the night before, except there was a young boy, no older than seventeen, by his side. Dr. Frazier smiled at her and she let him and the young boy enter.

"Miss McKenna." he said with a slight bow of his head and a smile

"Thank you for coming."

"No thanks are in order. This is Joshua, my assistant and apprentice." he said gesturing to the boy by his side

She held out her hand and he took it, shaking it lightly.

"Good morning Miss."

"Now, your father. Is he awake?" Doctor Frazier asked, handing his medical bag to Joshua.

"Yes, but I'm afraid you will not find him completely aware of his surroundings. Today is the first day he has been awake since...God knows when." She said, whispering the last bit to keep it to herself

"Hmm. And Mr. Thomas? How has he faired?"

Calliope gave him a slight smile, it was if he was altogether denying the fact of Dean's real status and name and she felt grateful for that.

"Well, I'm not sure quite yet, he is still asleep, he has been since you left early this morning."

"Good, he needs his rest. Now, Miss McKenna, where is your father?"

Calliope lead Dr. Frazier down the hall to her father's study where she lightly knocked on the door. He bid her enter and he, Joshua and Calliopestepped into the now cozy, warm room.

"Father," she started, "I know you have been feeling ill lately, so I've asked Doctor Frazier to our house to see you."

Henry McKenna turned in his chair, slowly stood up and made his way to Doctor Nathaniel Frazier.

"Ahh, yes. Doctor Frazier, how are you?" He asked, taking his hand and giving him a nice, firm shake

"I believe I should be asking you the same thing, Mr. McKenna. I am well, thank you. This is my assistant, Joshua."

Henry shook Joshua's hand as well, a rough smile on his face. Calliope felt a slight touch of anger spread through her veins. She knew what he was doing, he was going to act as if everything was alright; act as though he were fine and didn't need any help at all. She had seen it before. He would have days like this, where he could function, fend for himself; he would carelessly walk around just to prove to her that everything was fine, talk as if there were no problems. But there were problems. His problems. He was the problem.

"Your daughter has informed me that you have been ill for quite some time, sir."

"Yes, well Calliope just gets so very worked up over some things, I have been feeling under the weather, but I am doing fine, I assure you."

Calliope and Dr. Frazier looked at each other for a moment.

"Miss, I have Joshua with me today, so I won't need your assistance. Perhaps you should check on Mr. Thomas." He suggested, a look of pity set deep in his eyes and around the corners of his mouth

"Yes, I should."


	9. Chapter 9

Calliope stormed angrily into her room, her face flush with embarrassment. Her father was so different, so much better, when her mother was alive. Now he treated her as though she were some silly child. She closed the door behind her and rested her head against the wood of the door. He humiliated her in front of a stranger! She knew he would never get help with the way he acted. Well, fine. If he didn't want help, then she would stop caring. If that were even possible.

She heard a soft "ahem" behind her and she turned around to see Dean looking at her, somewhat embarrassed for watching her while she pitied herself and also slightly amused. She brought her hands to her eyes to wipe away a few tears that had managed to escape. She cleared her throat nervously.

"Good morning Dean." she said, avoiding his eyes as she went to her burrow for clean linens for her bed

"Morning. Um, hope you don't mind me asking...is something wrong?"

She turned to look at him. He had positioned himself so that his hands were behind his head; he looked as if he were lounging about on a hot afternoon, one leg crossed over the other, shirtless...

"No, everything is fine." she swore, setting the fresh linens on the edge of the bed

He nodded his head; he didn't want to pry, so it left it at that.

"How are you feeling?" She asked, moving the chair closer to the bed

"Erm, alright I suppose. Although it hurts like a bleeding blade wound to the stomach. Oh wait, it is! Imagine that!" he said, smirking a bit, trying to lighten the mood

She gave nothing more than a small lifting of the lips.

"I'll have to change the bandages in a few hours, until then is there anything I can do for you?" she asked, pulling her hair away from her face

Dean lifted his arms from under his head, then used them to prop himself up, the muscles straining to withstand his weight. He only winced slightly.

"Actually, there is." He said, using his hands for emphasis "Do you see my jacket on the table there?"

She nodded.

"In the front pocket, there should be a wallet."

She stood up, rifled through the jacket until she found the pocket.

"In said wallet, there should be a couple hundred dollar. Now, see my shirt?"

She held up his once upon a time plaid shirt now caked with blood and smartly ripped.

" That shirt has seen better days. What I need you to do is take that money and buy me a new shirt, okay?" he asked and then several seconds later added a,"please?"

"I can do that." she said.

"Thank you. I can't sit here, shirtless, forever." he replied, once more waving his hands about

Calliope thought there was absolutely nothing wrong with him being shirtless forever. No matter how much it embarrassed her, she had to admit he had a nice body, although she didn't really have anything to liken it too. She realized she was staring; she sat the shirt down.

"Is there anything else I can do?" she questioned as she sat back in the chair

"You can tell me why you're so quiet all the time." he said.

"I-"

"Is it because you're shy?"

"I suppose." she said, wringing her hands and looking everywhere except at the hunter.

"Hmm."

There was an awkward silence for a while in which Calliope stared at the ground and Dean continued to stare at her.

"Are you hungry?" she asked, feeling famished herself

"Yes."

"Alright. Me too. I'll change your dressings afterwards."

They both looked at each other in agreement before she left the room.

In the kitchen, she reflected back on the question Dean had asked her. She didn't necessarily see herself shy, perhaps more reserved than anything. But she had always been that way, even back when she attended parties the other girls would call her a "mouse" because of her quiet nature. She was nothing like her mother, who was exceptionally beautiful, talented, strong and wise. A natural born leader. Perhaps, she thought as she prepared breakfast, that was why she was so serene; she felt inadequate compared to her mother.

Calliope let a spoon slip from her hands and the clatter shook her from her thoughts. She bent down to collect it and when she looked up, she saw Doctor Frazier standing there, observing her. He offered her his hand and she took it as he helped her up.

"I didn't know you were there." she said, dusting the edges of her pants off.

"I had only just arrived." he assured her, Joshua at his side

Calliope glanced around the kitchen and at the porridge she had just prepared.

"Would you like some breakfast?" she offered, pouring some into a bowl.

"No thank you Miss McKenna, Joshua and I were just heading out."

"How is my father?" She asked, pulling out a chair from the small table and sitting, offering the same to the men.

"Thank you. Well he seemed to be fine, but when I examined him more closely, I noticed how weak he was. Do you know what your father's alcohol choices are?"

"Rum, and Gin I believe."

Doctor Frazier nodded knowingly, as he thoughtfully stroked his chin. Joshua nodded too, perhaps understanding or trying to fallow his tutor.

"You see, there has been a new study about the imposing threat of health issues associated with those beverages."

"What sort of health issues?"

"We doctors believe it is leading to stoppages in the blood and liver failure, amongst other things, Miss."

There was silence for a moment in which the only sound that could be heard was that of Joshua tapping his foot on the wood floor.

"What does this mean for my father?"

"I'm afraid, Miss, that if your father continues as he is, there may be nothing to be done. Joshua and I have already spotted a few signs of the failure of his liver. If you can, you must not allow your father to get a hold of anymore gin or rum for that matter. He needs good, solid sleep and plenty of food. I can see him later in the month to see how he has progressed."

She felt her heart skip a beat she held back tears as she nodded. Her foolish father.

"Thank you for coming, Doctor."

Dr. Frazier reached across the table and laid his hand over hers, they looked at each other for a moment.

"You're welcome. If you need anything let us know, in regards to your father or Mr. Thomas. And do not worry about the fee, Joshua and I are headed to another patient who always pays us generously."

She nodded as Dr. Frazier and Joshua stood and made their way to the door. She turned to look as Dr. Frazier bowed his head slightly.

"Good day, Miss."

As he shut the door, she allowed her tears to freely fall down her face. First her mother, and now her father could quite possibly leave her if he wasn't careful. She would have to acquire money, somehow. She knew the funds were swindling and with her father not working, her working was the only option.

Calliope set the bowl of porridge on the small table next to Dean and she sat in the chair with her own bowl.

"Thanks," he muttered as he reached for the bowl, but he stopped short as he looked at Calliope for a moment, noticing her tear streaked face. He said nothing and instead ate his breakfast.

"This is good, Callie." he said, trying to close the gap of awkwardness

She looked up in surprise at the sound of her nickname; he had never called her by her nickname before.

"Thank you."

They sat in silence until they were both finished. Calliope gathered some fresh bandages and a bit of clean, warm water, Dean settled himself comfortably upright so that she could have access all the way around his torso. She always dreaded this part, the part where her shaking fingers would meet the bare flesh if his abdomen, to unwrap the cloth. Dean didn't seem to notice the contact, he only watched as she released him from the binding.

Calliope dipped a piece of the cloth in the water and slowly brought it up the wound. He fidgeted a bit and muttered that it stung, but it was over and done with quickly. She felt as if he was staring at her, and it made her that much more uncomfortable. She took the new cloth and began to wind it around his torso then tied it off.

"There," she said, standing up and pushing her hair from her face

Dean looked down and nodded.

"I suppose I'll go to the store and find you a shirt." she said, grabbing the wallet and wrapping her jacket around her shoulders, "I'll be back soon."

"Before you go...is there something I can read to pass the time? It's a bit boring sitting here all by myself...I go crazy trying to remember what happened." he said, slapping his hands down onto the bed to emphasize his frustration.

She made her over to her desk and opened a drawer, taking a book from it. She handed it over to Dean as he looked at the spine and read the title out loud.

"Persuasion?" he asked, raising an eyebrow as he opened the book and flipped through the pages.

"Jane Austen. It's my favorite. It's about a woman who falls in love with a man her family doesn't approve of. It will keep you busy."

He bowed his head in a manner of thanks and she walk out the door.


	10. Chapter 10

Calliope watched the washer turn the clothes around in soapy water. Dean had his nose stuck so far into her book; he hadn't even noticed her take his things. Seeing as he had a new shirt, she thought he might appreciate his other things looking nice.

She hung the shirt up to dry. She could see Dean in her mind, enthrallingly turning the pages of Persuasion and she smiled at the sight of a hunter enjoying the romanticism that was Austen. She picked up Dean's brown jacket, hoping she could make it at least half decent looking. She started to spray it with stain remover, but thought that perhaps she should check the pockets to make sure they were empty.

In a few of the pockets she found odds and ends; a bit of frayed rope, a pebble and a length of eyelet lace. She set these aside, and then felt inside the secret pocket on the inside of the jacket, pulling out a thick piece of parchment that was folded several times. Curious, she unfolded it and looked it over, the creases in the parchment making it a bit difficult to decipher. She turned it around to what seemed right side up and then realized she was looking at a map.

The writing on the map was a different language, she didn't know which. She looked over the map until her eyes landed on a circled object that appeared up be a planet of some kind. The words above the object read something in Latin. She wondered if maybe this map was something important. She left her chore for a later hour and made her way inside the kitchen.

As she passed her father's study, map in hand, she stopped, debating whether or not to knock. They had been avoiding each other after an argument they had had days before. Calliope had confronted her disgruntled father about the gin, and he had exploded. She begged her father to give her the gin for "safe keeping", but he would have none of it. She wept as she told her father he would surely die unless he gave it all up, the opium too. But he had sent her away and had been in his study for days.

She kept walking and entered her room as Dean looked up from the book to see her. He gave her a wide grin and set the book down.

"'Hello," he said, proudly wearing his new shirt although he kept it unbuttoned, which made him strangely attractive to her. She had never been attracted to anything of the sort.

"I see you like my book." she said

"Yes," he answered, picking up the book again, "Never read anything quite like it, but I find it...beautiful."

"So do I. Wentworth is a lowly, poor sailor and Anne comes from a wealthy family, yet they still find a way to love each other, even despite being separated for years." she said, as she forgot about the folded map in her hands and sat down

"Do Anne and this Wentworth fellow end up together? That lady who makes her lie and say she doesn't want to be with him, does it end that way?" he asked, seriously concerned

"You'll have to read it all."

He sighed, and then noticed the map in Calliope's hand.

"What's that?" he asked, gesturing with his head

"Oh," she exclaimed, remembering. "Well, I had taken some of your apparel out to wash, and I found this in a pocket of your coat. It's a map of something."

She handed it over up him as he unfolded it and began to investigate. She watched him turn it over, a look of concentration on his face, his rough hands smoothing out the wrinkles. She remembered the first time they had met, two years before, how their hands had brushed against each other and how at the end of the night when they shook hands, she marveled at the feel of them. Dean stared the map intensely, turning it and tilting his head.

Dean nmumbled something slowly lowering the map from his face

"What is it?"

"I remember. I do. I remember everything. This map...this map is what caused all this." he said, staring off into a memory

Calliope's eyes widened as she shifted closer to him

"What happened, Dean?"

He turned and looked at her, his light green eyes ablaze with life and fire.

"Do you know what this is a map too?"

"All it said was something in Latin."

"This is a map to the supposed location of the demon I was hunting."

She looked at him for a moment, confused.

"A demon? So you really go on hunts?"

Dean gave her a smirk that made her heartbeat pound into her fingertips.

"I remember, stopping here with Sam, we were going to meet my childhood friend, Victor, who had also become a hunter. He was supposed to be our translater, considering this Latin is extremely old. I..I showed up and no one was there and I was completely unaware as I was attacked from the side." he said, his brow scrunched in remembrance.

"Who was it?" she asked, completely enthralled

"Victor," he growled with contempt. "I don't...really remember fighting off the guy, but I know it was him. I recall him yelling over and over, 'She was mine, you bastard!' And somehow he sliced me up good, but I got him too, as I was on the ground after he cut me, he told me to give him the map or he would kill me for it. I don't remember anything else other than stumbling around in the rain trying to find help."

Calliope shook her head in disbelief.

"Why did he attack you? I know you have the map, but..."

"He knew I had the map and he had been chasing and following me for months. He had always liked the girl I liked, even since we were kids, Abby."

As he said this, Dean's eyes lit magically.

"She was beautiful and he was madly in love with her, we both were."

"Abby, she was...she was...amazing," he said, his hands animated, "She had these blue eyes...We had come to the bar she worked at for a couple of drinks, and later that night as I was leaving I found a note on my napkin saying she wanted me to come to her hotel. I should never have gone, I was young and foolish."

"When I found her in her room, she was letting her hair down, taking off her stage makeup, and wearing nothing but her underwear. I remember her smiling and asking me to sit next to her."

Calliope was hanging onto every word; it was like a history lesson on the life of the infamous hunter from the hunter himself.

"She leaned in and kissed me and I thought I would die but I knew the right thing to do would be to leave. But when she whispered that I was the one she wanted, I forgot all about him, I couldn't help myself; the girl of my dreams wanted me. So I gave in, allowed myself to be the one to love her."

She knew her face was flush with embarrassment, but she continued to listen, fervently.

"Afterwards, we both fell asleep. That is the one time I remember being absolutely...happy." he said, his hands out in front of him, holding out the mental picture for both of them to see.

"Someone stormed into the room, and it woke us up. Victor had found out, somehow, where I was. He was furious, kicking and throwing things. He grabbed my gun and shot me in the leg. I remember Abby, crying and calling my name...so he shot her too."

Calliope had brought her hand to her mouth, shaking her head. Something like intense pain flashed across The Dean's face as he continued to relate the story.

"It all happened so quickly, there was nothing I could do. I limped over to the bed, I was screaming her name and he just looked at the gun in his hand in shock, and the cowardly bastard ran. She was already gone, I knew she was but I held her and cried out for help...held her even as people came, as the officials came, as your dad came. I just held onto her. She was the first and last woman I ever loved."

Calliope didn't know she was crying until she felt the wetness on her hand. Dean looked at her, a bit ashamed for making himself so vulnerable through telling the story. He cleared his throat and sat up a bit.

"Dean," she said, "I'm so sorry."

He shrugged his shoulders, pretending not to care.

"So, Victor attacked you because of Abby?"

"Yes, in a way. I had gotten the girl; I suppose he felt that I shouldn't have two treasures in a lifetime. He took the Colt, a gun that could kill anything. I hadn't seen him since that night, and I plan on never seeing him again."

He took the map, looked at it, determined.

"I'm gonna find him, and I'm gonna take it back. And I know he will be there, waiting, and I'll kill him." he sat there for a minute like that, and then an idea registered on his face

"Could I have a pen and paper?"

She nodded, gathered the thing and set them on the table. He looked at them for a moment, and then looked at her confused as to how he was going to write in the bed.

"On second thought, do you know how to write?"

"Of course."

"Good. Would you mind writing down what I say?"

"Not at all."

Dean cleared his throat as Calliope positioned the pen at the top of the paper.

"Bobby," he started "I have come to the conclusion that you are taking care of Sam."

Calliope suppressed a smile, as she scribbled it down in her lovely cursive.

"I don't have a clue as to where you and Sam are, but I would be much obliged if you would come back for me. I still have the map; Azazel and I fought; I, valiantly, was wounded and am at this moment being cared for by none other than Henry McKenna's daughter, Calliope, who saved my life."

She looked at him and he nodded to the parchment.

"That is why the handwriting is so...girly. Now, Bobby, I trust you miss me, so if you would kindly reply to the location noted as to where you are and when you're coming." "Would you read it back to me please?"

She did so, again trying not to giggle at his humorous remarks.

"Perfect, hand it here and I'll sign."

He took the pen in his hand and bent over, awkwardly, as he signed "Dean Winchester" beautifully at the bottom of the parchment. He folded it, and on the back wrote Bobby's address.

"There. If you wouldn't mind taking this to the post office I would appreciate it. It will find them, safely."

She nodded her head, gathered her things and made her way to the door.

"You're amazing, sweetheart," he said, mock saluting her

She smiled shyly, closing the door.


	11. Chapter 11

Calliope walked on the weather beaten street, passing women with groceries, children chasing a dog, two lovers holding hands. She held the letter that was addressed to Bobby, as she made her way to the post office on bike. She still had Dean's story bouncing around in her mind; it was too beautiful and tragic a story even for Austen herself, more suited for Shakespeare perhaps.

The one thing about Dean's story that had caught her off guard was the fact that he had once been in love, even if it was for a short period of time. She knew from stories that hunters guarded their hearts from such things because they had to.

She opened the door to the post office, and saw a stout, stubby woman behind the counter with an equally stubby nose. Her husband, the postman, was conversing with another customer.

"How can I help you, miss?" The stumpy woman asked, smiling brightly

"Could you mail this letter please?" she asked, pushing Dean's note onto the counter

"Certainly. What is the name of the person this is being sent to?"

"Bobby Singer."

The postman's wife looked up at her, questioningly, but nodded her head, writing a little note on the envelope and setting it aside. Calliope handed the woman a couple of dollars, thanking her.

Calliope walked out of the shop, and made her way into the crowd once again. She loved the small town, the different smells and people and produce. It was lovely to be able to take a minute for herself; the weather was just beginning to warm, bringing people outdoors. She stopped at a booth that was selling fresh fruit; the smell was intoxicating and she couldn't help herself.

The young girl running the stand smiled wide and handed Calliope an apple, she took a bite and smiled back, handing the young girl a dollar. Calliope moved on, looking at different stalls, apple in hand. She stopped at a stall that sold bows and ribbons. She examined a pink colored ribbon as someone came and stood next to her.

"Good afternoon, Miss McKenna."

Calliope turned and saw Dr. Frazier standing next to her, Joshua nowhere in sight.

"Doctor Frazier! How are you?" she asked, setting the ribbon down

"Very well. And you? What are you doing out?"

Calliope and Dr. Frazier moved away from the stall and made their way into the bustling crowd, Calliope pushing her bike.

"I just dropped off a letter for Dea..." she stopped, not wanting to sound too familiar with the hunter, "for Mr. Thomas."

"Ah, and how is he?"

"He is doing quite well, I think."

"And your father?" he asked, stopping her in the middle if the street, his hand placed on her arm

"He...he won't listen to me. We are quite cross with each other at the moment. We had a row about his health. I can't get him to quit his drinking."

Nathaniel nodded his head as they began to walk again.

"I suppose it will take a while; if it isn't an inconvenience, I would like to stop by and check up on your father and Mr. Thomas sometime soon."

"It wouldn't be an inconvenience at all, Doctor." she said, taking another bite of her apple.

They walked until they came to the crossroads where Calliope needed to turn to make her way home. She turned to say goodbye to the Doctor.

"Would you...erm... Would you mind if I walked you home, Miss McKenna?" he asked, his hand on the back of his neck

"Not at all." she replied

It was quiet for a little while as they walked the paving stone street that lead to Calliope's home, but the Dr. broke the silence and began to tell her about a widow in town who frequently called on Joshua and him for medical attention.

"She is wholly convinced that she is dying, although Joshua and I cannot find a single thing wrong with her. She is in pristine health! One moment she believes she has Malaria, next it is the Measles. She will complain of severe headaches, various pains; she even had us over once because she was in a panic due to the thought that she had the Plague even though I told her that the plague had not been seen in a patient for more than two hundred years!"

Calliope laughed heartily; something she had not done for a long time.

"She always pays us heavily, every time, despite the fact that we have never healed her of anything!" he said, laughing as well

They arrived at her door in laughter. It died down after a moment, and Calliope thanked him for walking her home. He smiled at her, their eyes locking for a second before she moved her green ones away.

"I will stop by soon to see to your father as well as Mr. Thomas." he said, shielding his eyes from the setting sun, "Good day, Miss McKenna."

"Doctor Frazier." she replied, with a curt nod of her head

She walked into her bedroom to find Dean asleep, her book open and lying across his chest; he had fallen asleep while reading it. She smiled and closed the door behind her; she remembered she had left his things in the laundry room.

As she passed her father's study, she didn't stop. She was still cross with him and, however much it pained her, she would not be the one to apologize for their fight because she had done nothing wrong. She would have to wait for her father to come to her, if he ever would.

With the sun nearly down, its rays made everything a golden orange. She wished she could go to the docks or the beach to see the water under the influence of the golden perfection. She sighed as she took Dean's shirt out of the dryer and gathered his jacket and his trinkets. She stopped to look at the map. Poor Dean, she thought. From what she understood, falling in love was quite a rare thing. Falling truly and madly and deeply for someone, well that sort of thing did not happen every day. And for it all to be taken away...

She clutched the map in her hand and watched out the window as the sun went slowly down.


	12. Chapter 12

As a few days passed, Calliope began to notice how well Dean was improving. He began to sleep less, keeping the hours reasonable, he ate more, drank more, was happier and his wound was beginning to lose the coloring of infection. She had also graduated from the oversized chair in her room to a makeshift bed she had arranged in the small bathroom adjacent to hers, allowing her to sleep better.

She wished things were advancing as well with her father. She had caught him passed out at the kitchen table the night before, reeking of liquor, smoke and a hideously strong perfume. He had been out that night, she had discovered, at the local bar. Was this something new or had he snuck out before?

This particular morning, she planned to confront him about it in, perhaps, a last ditch effort to clean him up. She stepped out of the tub that was in the bathroom, her hair wet. She grabbed a towel and dried herself off. She dressed herself in a quarter-sleeve white shirt. Nothing too fancy. She brushed her hair out and pinned it up, still wet.

She took a deep breath and told herself to just get it over with, she didn't want to fight but she could no longer stand ideally by while her father drowned himself in drink and sorrow. It wasn't fair. She had no time to mourn her mother's death because she was too busy taking care of everyone else. She wished her father would grow up. It was uncharacteristically selfish of him to act the child of the family while she acted the adult.

She didn't stop to see if Dean was awake yet, she stormed passed her door to her father's study and knocked. There was no answer and she hadn't really waited for one anyway, she opened the door and let herself in. Upon entering she realized her father wasn't there. She waked over to his small desk that was scattered with parchment.

She wanted to rifle through them but at the same time she knew she shouldn't. She scanned over them an out of the corner of her eye she read something that caught her attention. She picked that particular paper up and began to read.

"Dear Mr. McKenna,

It has come to my attention that you are several months late on your payment that was arranged. If I do not hear from you regarding the remaining balance owed, I will be forced to go to the bank to sort this out."

She set the parchment down and picked up another. It read along the same lines yet the name at the bottom was different. She took a seat in the chair and read more; he owed countless unknown people for loans she knew nothing about. She then came across something that greatly bothered her; a paper that had been used by her father to figure out their financial situation, numbers were scrawled everywhere, totals added up and at the bottom a staggeringly large number in the negative circled several times.

They were completely broke, ruined. She let the paper fall back into the pile on the desk and she ran her hand across her face. Her father had left them penniless. She was startled as her father walked in, his boots loud against the wood flooring, a bottle in his hand. He looked at her for a minute before setting his bottle on the empty fireplace.

"What have you done to us?" she asked, barely above a whisper.

Her father remained silent and that angered her. He only looked out the window behind Calliope as if she wasn't even there. She stood up, gathering the papers in a neat pile.

"You were at the bar last night, weren't you?"

"What makes you think that, dear?" he said, his voice gravelly

"Because I found you in the kitchen, passed out and reeking of drink and whores." she said, pretending to still pile the papers so he wouldn't have to look at him.

"I wasn't at the bar, Calliope."

"Why are lying to me?" she asked

He didn't answer, he only stared at her.

"That's your mother's shirt."

"What?"

"The shirt you're wearing, it was your mother's."

She looked at him in disbelief for changing the subject.

"You look so much like her." he said, looking at her as if he were somewhere else entirely.

"Don't say that. I hate it when you say that." she whispered

"Would you like to know the last words your mother said to me before he died?" he asked, ignoring her last comment

Calliope sighed and in the chair at the desk, defeated, nodding her head.

"She looked at me, straight at me with those big green eyes, the same ones you have. She said, "Henry, don't you dare stop living simply because I have, don't you dare." she said, "It is not your time to die, it is mine and don't you dare die along with me."

Calliope sat quietly, looking at her father. He had never spoken of what was said between him and her mother before she died just as she had never told him what had transpired between them.

"I have died, Callie. I have followed your mother in her fate, yet mine was done at my own hand, not God's. I have shamed you both." her father said, all while looking at the bottle on the fireplace

She didn't quite understand why he was saying all this and what he meant by it. Just then, her father picked up his bottle and turned it in its side so that the amber liquid slowly fell from it onto the wooden floor about his feet.

She stood up, shocked.

"What on earth are you doing?" she asked, grabbing the bottle from his hand and setting it on the desk

He looked down at the puddle at his feet and nodded his head.

"I am living." he said, before stepping in the puddle and walking out the door.

Calliope stared at the doorway, confused. She sighed and began to clean up the mess get father made while having his strange epiphany. She then grabbed the rum bottle from the desk and made her way to her room.

She walked in to find Dean awake and shuffling a pile of cards.

"Here." she said, handing him the bottle

He looked at her with surprise, and then a large grin appeared on his face.

"Oh! Breakfast! Thanks, sweetheart. How'd you know?" he asked, taking a swig of what was left

"What are doing?" she asked, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Shuffling. Poker. You know how to play?"

She shrugged her shoulders.

"If you're up for a game, I can teach you." he said, smiling

That smile instantly cheered her up, despite her father's madness.

"Alright." she said, smiling back

"Oh goody." he responded, rubbing his hands together

Dean began to explain the rules of poker to Calliope. He told her how it was played, with tricks and cunning.

"It sounds difficult, but you'll get the hang of it."

She nodded as Dean dealt the cards. For the next couple of hours, he and Calliope played cards with Dean stopping every once in a while to explain the rules again. He won the first game, as was expected, but then Calliope began to get a feel for it and started to win.

Every round she would somehow manage to beat Dean, he having at least three cards left in his hand. As the hours passed, they both began to relax and let loose, Dean would tell stories as they played and Calliope would erupt into a fit of giggles with him chuckling along. She had completely let the morning's events slip her mind.

"Oh Dean," she said, laughing, "Is that a true story?"

"Of course it is!"

Calliope laughed and set her cards down to stretch.

"I like your laugh. You should do it more often!" Dean said, grabbing all the cards and putting them back on the deck.

Calliope felt her face become hot and she gave him a shy smile. Someone began to knock, startling them both.

"It may be Doctor Frazier." Calliope said, "He told me he would be stopping by soon."

She got up and ran to the door and, sure enough, when she opened it Nathaniel Frazier stood before her.

"Good Afternoon, Miss. McKenna." he said, bowing his head, "I hope I haven't interrupted something, but I have come to take a look at your father and Thomas."

"Of course, please come in. I'm afraid you've missed my father though."

"Where has he gone?"

"I have no idea, we sort of talked and then he just left. Although he did pour out his rum onto the floor before going, I think he may be ready to give it up."

The Dr. smiled at her, nodding in approval and Calliope felt extremely aware of herself under his gaze.

"Well, eh, to Mr. Thomas then?" he asked

She nodded and they both started for her room.

"As you can see, Joshua is not with me today; he has begun schooling and will be back with me in the fall."

"Where is he schooling?"

"Right now, just here at the schoolhouse, getting a starting education."

As they walked into the room, Dean looked up from his cell phone and map and gave them a smirk, before tossing them aside.

"How are you feeling, Mr. Thomas?" The Dr. asked, setting his medical bag on the bedside table.

"You can call me Dean you know." Dean said

"Alright then, Dean, how are you feeling?"

"Alright, I suppose."

Dean took his shirt off and let Dr. Frazier remove the bandages and inspect his wound.

"It's healing nicely, for a bullet wound, that's what this is, is it not?" Frazier asked, looking through his bag.

"Er, something like that." The Doctor answered

Calliope stood by the edge of the bed, hands clasped in front of her. Some hair had fallen free from the top of her head and it rested against her neck, beginning to annoy her.

"Miss McKenna if you would be so kind as too assist me." Dr. Frazier said

She nodded and kneeled by the bedside.

"The stitches need to come out now, they have done their job for the most part." he said, a small pair of scissors in hand

The Doctor grimaced, looking at the scissors.

"It won't hurt, it will only be a bit uncomfortable." Dr. Frazier said.

"Now, what I need you to do is to pull the stitch free after I cut it. And do not worry, you won't hurt him."

Calliope looked at Dean who shook his head and waved his hand round, letting her know he would be fine.

Dr. Frazier slid the scissors under a stitch and snipped it free, Calliope bit her lip and carefully pulled the stitch free, a tiny hole present in the skin where it used to be. Calliope felt as though she was being watched and she turned to see the Dr. looking at her in approval. He smiled and then repeated this process a few more times until all the sutures were removed.

"Now, Doctor, this needs to be cleaned so I highly suggest that you bathe."

"Yes, perhaps that would be a good idea." he said, folding his arms across his chest.

"Right. Get it clean and then you should be fine, there will be scarring but I'm sure you don't mind."

"Merely a battle wound, there to remind me."

"Good then."

Nathaniel gathered his things, shook Dean hand and asked if Calliope would walk with him to see him out. As they reached the front door, he turned to find her smiling at him.

"Thank you for all that you have done to help him." she said, "I wish you would let me pay you for your services."

"There's no need for that," he said, clutching his medicinal back tighter, "But, there is something that you could do for me, or with me, rather. Miss. McKenna...Calliope, I was wondering if you'd like to have dinner sometime."

Calliope stood quietly for a moment, at a loss for words.

"You want me to go on a date with you?"

"Yes, if you would like to." he said, nervously

She didn't quite know what to say, but it sounded like a fun time and Nathaniel was very kind.

"I would love to go." she said, shyly

Nathaniel let out a sigh and a small chuckle, a gigantic smile present on his lips.

"Alright, it's Thursday night at six at the Governor's Mansion. Would it be alright if I picked you up?"

"Yes, that would be fine."

He nodded his head.

"Right then."

Calliope held out her hand to him and he took it, placing a kiss there.

"Goodnight Nathaniel." she said, calling him by his first name as he had done to her.

"Goodnight Calliope."


	13. Chapter 13

Wednesday night was fading fast as Calliope prepared the room. Her thoughts were on her father, who had come home after his tirade claiming that he had been searching for a job. She felt so proud and relived that her father was cleaning himself up; she had not seen him take one sip since the other day. Yet she hoped he did not do it behind closed doors.

Calliope turned on a lamp to make the bathroom a bit brighter; the area filled with a bit of steam from the tub containing hot water. She then laid the folded towels on the small dresser. She nodded with satisfaction and returned to her room to fetch Dean.

He was sitting on the edge of the bed; he had managed to get his legs on the ground all on his own.

"You're progressing well." she said with a chuckle

"'It was a bit of a struggle, I've been lying in bed for weeks, I'm not used to moving around too much. Are you ready?"

She nodded and held her hand out towards him; he took it, with his opposite hand, his rough skin against her smooth. His other hand was placed on her shoulder for balance as he lifted himself up shifting some of his weight onto Calliope.

"Are you alright?" he asked

"I'm fine."

She helped him as he walked down the hall to the little extra room; each time he took a step, the muscles in his stomach would contract, causing him to wince in pain. They entered the room, as she helped him to a chair where he could rest. He lowered himself down, with a sigh of relief.

"You're amazing, Callie." he said, calling her by her nickname, something he had recently started

She smiled shyly moving a strand of hair from her face; she handed him a towel and he nodded his head in thanks.

"Do you want me to leave the room, so you can undress?" she asked, awkwardly. Though, she couldn't imagine why he would want her to stay and watch

"Oh, no, you can just turn around." he chuckled as he removed his shirt, hanging it on the knob of the chair backing.

She turned to face the wall, shifting uncomfortably. She felt as if she couldn't breathe, and she swore the temperature in the room had just gone up a couple thousand degrees. The thought of him undressing right behind her scared her, making her heart race. All Calliope wanted was to leave the room, but she knew Dean required her help; she was at a standstill of emotion.

She thought about this feeling, she didn't feel this way when she was with Nathaniel. She didn't feel anything of the sort, so why did she feel this way around Dean? More shy than she already was, flustered, nervous, and wondrous. Nathaniel and her were friends yet so were her and Dean, so how could she have different feelings with them?

Dean cleared his throat with an "ahem" to get her attention and she slowly turned around and to her surprise, she saw him standing. He had one hand against the wall for support; the other was holding a towel around his waist.

She had stopped breathing altogether; she had to tell herself to take in air. The light reflected against his bare chest, she could see his wound; slightly open still, the rest beginning to scar. One thing she could see from where she was standing were his green eyes, reflecting the light as well. She simply had to admit he was beautiful.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, struggling to keep himself up

"No...no." she assured him, running to his side to help him over to the still steaming basin. His put his arm around her shoulders as he limped a bit.

"Alright, close your eyes." he said quietly

She obeyed, shutting them tight. She felt him hold onto her tighter for balance, and she tried not to imagine him removing his towel, it would have been a wicked thought. His hand slid across her shoulders and down her arm as he held onto her, sending unmistakable chills throughout her body, until she heard him slip into the water, slowly, letting out a sigh.

"You can look now." he said, comfort in his voice.

She opened her eyes; they adjusted to the small amount of light, and looked down at Dean. The water was bubbly, revealing nothing under the surface and she was filled with relief. He had his eyes closed, his arms outside the basin, resting them on the rim. She gazed at him; his hair, his arms, his eyes, and his lips; and she, for the first time, wondered what they would feel like against her own. Suddenly, he opened his eyes at which point she quickly looked away.

"Would you like for me to go, to give you some privacy?" she asked

He was silent for a second as he ran his fingers along his chin, thinking.

"Actually, I'd enjoy the company, if ye wouldn't mind. he said.

"I don't mind at all." she said, pulling the chair over and sitting, not too close, but not too far.

"Are you uncomfortable being here? Ye don't have to stay if I'm making you nervous."

"I'm not uncomfortable, I just...um, have...never been in a situation like this." she said, fumbling her words and twirling a small piece of hair round her finger

He looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"And what situation would this be?"

She wished he would change the subject. She should have just kept her answer short and sweet and she should have lied.

"I've never been alone in a room with a naked man before."she said outright, surprising herself and covering her mouth

Dean smirked, a chuckle escaping from his perfect lips as Calliope turned a deep shade of scarlet.

"I didn't know that about you." he said as he glanced at the look of pure humiliation upon her face.

"Callie, it's nothing to be ashamed about! In fact, it's quite refreshing to hear a young woman say she's a virgin. If every woman were experienced with men, then there would be no mystery in it, would there?"

"I suppose not." she whispered.

"Besides, strong is the person who can resist such temptations when they are put before them. Hell, even something as simple as a kiss can lead to passions unknown." he said animatedly with usage if his hands as he slipped a bit further into the basin.

Calliope uncrossed her legs, re-crossed them the opposite way,, and kept silent; all while avoiding eye contact with Dean who was watching her.

"Don't tell me that you've never been kissed by a man, either..." he said, his eyebrows squashed together.

She said nothing, but slowly met his eyes as she, out of nervous habit, played with her hair.

Dean raised both his eyebrows and sat himself up a bit.

"You've never been kissed." he whispered in disbelief

She felt an overwhelming sense of sadness, as if being kissed was the biggest ball of the season and she had not only not made the guest list, but she had to watch from afar as all the other woman danced the night away. And ironically she had, not twenty minutes before, wondered about the feel of not just a kiss, but a kiss from Dean.

Dean could tell she felt wounded by his comment, and he visibly cursed himself for making it sound like such a horrible event.

"Don't worry about it. It doesn't mean it won't ever happen; that's just plain silliness! Come to think of it, I suspect you will be receiving one soon." he said, a knowing look on his face

She tried not to panic. Could he possibly know that she had thought about him that way? She hoped he hadn't read it on her face, if it was showing. She was confused as ever about these feelings and wonderings and now she was frightened Dean was coming on to these perplexities.

"What do you mean?" she asked, as calmly as possible

"That Dr. Frazier friend of yours? He likes you." Dean said with a grin, allowing himself to sink back into the water, which was slowly losing heat

"Nathaniel? Ha, oh, no we are just friends!" she said, relieved that that was all he had meant.

Dean chuckled, shook his head.

"You may think the two of you are just friends, but he thinks and hopes otherwise."

"What on earth are you talking about?"

"I know the look of desire on a face, and he wears it like a market sign round his neck. I've seen the way he looks at you, no mistaking, that man has feelings for you." Dean preached, again with his theatrical hands

Calliope was quite taken aback. Nathaniel had feelings for her? What kind of feelings? The kind of confusing, uncertain and new feelings she was experiencing with Dean? She remembered that he had invited her to the Governor's Ball that was to be held tomorrow; had he really done that because he fancied her?

"Really?" she asked

"Really."

"He's invited me for dinner tomorrow." she whispered

Dean smiled.

"Oh? Why didn't you tell me that? Are you going?"

"I'm not so sure now." she whispered again

Dean pushed himself up, grunting a bit as he did, and Calliope looked at his perfect collarbones.

"You should go, Calliope," he said seriously "You have been stuck in this house taking care of me and your dad for a while, you deserve to go out."

"I suppose it couldn't hurt."

"I can manage myself for one night."

"Alright, I'll go." she said.

"Good. Now, if you wouldn't mind helping me out of here." he said, picking up the towel from the side of the tub

She stood up, closed her eyes and held out her hand. Dean took it and clumsily hoisted himself up, and put a hand on her shoulder for equilibrium. A few seconds later, he instructed her to open her eyes. She did so and saw his body glistening with droplets of water as she helped him step out of the bathtub and towards his clothes.

"Thank you."

She stepped back and turned around, facing the wall again.

"You're fine to look."

She turned back around and he smiled as he put an arm into his shirt.

"You still up for a game of cards tonight?" he asked, putting the other arm through

"Of course!" she answered.

"Good, cause tonight is the night I'm gonna beat you." he said with a chuckle as she made her way over to help him.


	14. Chapter 14

Calliope sat on the bed across from Dean who was shuffling the deck of cards so that they could play Poker. Callie had a winning streak so far, and she could tell that Dean was determined to end it.

"I don't know how you keep winning! People rarely beat me at Poker," he said, shaking his head

They both examined their cards, and Calliope was about to declare when Dean stopped her.

"How about we make this game a bit more interesting. What say you to that?"

"Alright," she said skeptically, "What are the terms?"

Dean set his cards face down and brought his hands in front of his face for emphasis on what he was about to say.

"If you win, I'll give you the ring I see you admiring all the time.." he said, holding up the finger that the ring was located on

"And if you win?" she asked

"Well if I win...If I win, I get to kiss you." he said, a smirk present on his lips

"...Pardon?" she asked, not quite sure if she had heard him right

"I you lose, I get to kiss you." he said again

Her stomach lurched, making her feel as if she were going to puke. Her heart rate rose and she began to feel the temperature climb just as it had a few hours ago.

"Why...why is that..?" she started

"It'll give you some practice for tomorrow." he said, jokingly. "C'mon what are the chances you'll lose? You've been kicking me ass for the past week."

He was right, he hadn't won a single round, but she wondered why the hell he'd chosen a kiss as his prize. She didn't trust this.

"Look Callie, it won't be anything serious, just a few pointers for tomorrow night so you know what to do and expect. Do we have an deal?" he asked, hand outstretched

She, against her better judgment, took his hand and shook it.

"Deal." she mumbled

"Alright, let's play."

They played several rounds, until they were both tied and decided that the next round would be the end.

Calliope watched as Dean added up the scores, hoping she has kept to her streak. After a few seconds, Dean smiled and handed the paper to Calliope. She had won 4 rounds and Dean had 18.

"That can't be right." she said, frantically adding up the numbers

"I know how to count." he said, chuckling

"I lost." she said after a few seconds, "I can't believe I lost."

"Me either...now don't look at me like that! I played honestly! Honest! I won fair and square!" he declared, putting his hands up

"I believe you."

They sat there for a moment, in silence, and Dean noticed the look of trepidation on her face.

"You know, we don't have to do it right now, you can wait 'til tomorrow if you want."

She thought about it, about how she would stay up all night worrying about it; the anxiety would be too much for her.

"No. We made a deal, let's just get it over with."

Dean shrugged and moved closer to her on the, her heart racing as he sat next to her.

"Don't look so terrified, it's alright." he said, and she could tell he was having second thoughts about his choice in reward

She swallowed, took a deep breath and nodded her head.

"Now," he began, "Seeing as this Doctor is a gentleman, I predict his hands will be placed somewhere...appropriate."

He brought his hand up to her face, and moved her strawberry blonde hair back behind her ear so that her neck and shoulder were bare, sending chills down her spine. He placed his right hand on her neck; part of his palm resting on her cheek, his thumb in front of her ear.

"Something like this," he muttered, he looked down and saw her small, porcelain hands shaking.

"He'll probably take your hand with his other...like so." he took her right hand in his left, entwining their fingers and she closed her eyes at his touch

"This is what I would do, if I were a gentleman." he said, erasing some of the tension as she gave a little smile

"Where do I put my hand?" she asked, barely above a whisper

"Well, I suppose wherever you feel is right. When you're in the moment, you'll just naturally go with it. Just don't let it hang like a dead fish at your side."

She nodded, trying to steady her shaking figure.

"Now, when I...when he moves in for the kiss, you'll need to move your head depending on which way he leans in. If he leans in this way," he said, leaning his head to the left. "You move the opposite way, alright? That way you won't bump noses or any of that awkward stuff."

Awkward. That is most certainly what this was. Why had she agreed to this?

"Alright," he whispered as he leaned in, her heart threatening to burst. She leaned her head the opposite way, as he had told her, but their noses still brushed against each other. Suddenly, Dean stopped short, his lips barely an inch from hers.

"You don't have to do this." he whispered, his lips nearly touching hers with every word he spoke, his eyes still closed.

He was giving her an out, so why didn't she take it? Oh, she knew why. Because she wanted him to kiss her, that's why. She didn't understand why, but she wanted it, more than she had wanted anything, ever. That's why she agreed to his deal, because deep down inside she wanted nothing more than for him to kiss her.

"I'm fine," she whispered, her eyes closed as well

He nodded and filled the gap between them, his lips caressing hers lightly before he kissed her softly, her bottom lip between his. She let out a little gasp of surprise as his hand tightened around her neck, pulling her in closer. She opened her eyes for a moment, only to let them flutter closed again. Something in her stomach danced around, her heart pounded against her chest and she kissed him back. She reached up with her free hand and let it rest on his chest, going with the flow; her hand rising and falling as he inhaled and exhaled.

Dean kissed her one last time before letting her go, her face flush and bright red. He removed his hand from the side of her face, and slowly untangled his fingers from hers. Nothing serious, just as he had promised.

"You alright, sweetheart?" he asked, completely unaffected

She nodded her head slowly, she was more than alright, and she felt like she was literally floating. She felt miraculous.

"Good..."

Silence commenced.

"Well, that's what you can except from your Doctor friend, except it will be with more...emotion." he said, giving her a lopsided grin

She grinned back, still dazed.

"You did good. You'll know just what to do." he said with a yawn, as if what had just happened was no big deal.

"Thank you."

He nodded as he lay down, and Calliope gathered the cards and put them in a pile on the bedside table. She turned out the light, her mind swarming with thoughts; they had just kissed and he was acting as if nothing had happened, so that is how she would have to act.

She made her way to the door, looking back at Dean.

"Goodnight, Callie." he said, a lovely smirk on his face

"Goodnight, Dean." she whispered back

As she lay in the small bed in the extra room, she let her fingers brush her lips, relishing the feeling of Dean's kiss. She smiled, too giddy to sleep. She wondered if that is what it would feel like to kiss Nathaniel. If she would feel butterflies in the pit of her stomach, or if the feel of his fingers interwoven with hers would give her chills. She laid and looked at the wall; on the other side slept a hunter who had given her first kiss. She closed her eyes and willed herself to sleep, for she had a big day the next morning.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: I've gotten over 400 views! *flails arms* Thank you guys soooo much. Please R&R! (I have no reviews)**

Calliope woke feeling refreshed and better than ever. She opened her eyes and lay in bed, looking at the ceiling and reliving the events of the night before. She had already forgotten what the kiss had felt like, but not what she had felt while being kissed. She began to wonder again if she would feel the same if Nathaniel were to kiss her later that night, and if she did, would it mean she liked Nathaniel?

She was a bit shocked that Dean had told her how Nathaniel felt about her and that Dean had seen it on his face. Had she been completely oblivious or just had she just not been sure what "desire" actually looked like? Her many thoughts began to suffocate her, so she decided to get up and dress. As she made her way to the kitchen, she heard her father making a ruckus.

"Father what is going on?" she asked as she saw him in the kitchen

"Ah! Callie! Good morning!" he said

"Um, what are you doing?"

"Making breakfast!"

She sat down at the table, amused.

"You have no idea what you're even doing." she said with a chuckle

"How difficult could it be?" he asked seconds before dropping and egg on the floor, white and yellow spilling from the shell.

"Oops."

Calliope laughed, and shooed her father from the kitchen.

"Why don't you go have a talk with Dean? You haven't said a word to him since he has been here."

"Alright, alright." he said, pushing his graying hair from his face

She felt as if she would cry, she had her father back. She tended to the mess of the egg and started breakfast, her mind on everything Dean thinking about last night? What was she going to wear to dinner? Would Nathaniel tell her how he felt or would Dean be wrong about how he felt? Her thoughts were brought back to breakfast as she cursed out loud after burning her finger on the pot and quickly placed it in her mouth to nurse it.

"Perhaps Dean is rubbing off on me." she said of her cursing, something she did not do.

She finished up the food and set a plate for her father and Dean on the table. If Dean was able to walk last night, she could help him to the kitchen.

She walked in on Dean and her father talking, both of them turning their heads towards her as she entered.

"Good morning. Big day today!" Dean exclaimed, smiling

"Yes, Dean has just informed me that you are going out with Doctor Frazier tonight!"

"Oh, yes, well...it's not anything huge." she said

"Don't fool yourself. He likes you and you know you're excited." Dean said

"Well you did not tell me he liked my daughter! Smart man!" her father declared

"I am a little excited." she admitted, holding a hand out for Dean

"Where are we going?" he asked, looking at her had quizzically

"To the kitchen, for breakfast."

He took her hand and lifted himself out of bed, slightly wincing.

"Do you need my help?" her father asked, standing up as well

"Nah, she's a strong one!" Dean said, limping alongside her

They finally made it to the kitchen where Dean plopped down in his seat, happy to be sitting. Calliope served them along with herself and they ate in silence until her father spoke up.

"So my boy, has my daughter been taking good care of you?"

"I'm pretty certain I'd be dead right now if it weren't for her." he said, smiling at her

She blushed and looked away, focusing on her food.

"Good, good!"

They began to tell old stories of their hunter days, Calliope laughing along with them as her father recalled the time when Dean had nearly gotten him killed.

"And Dean had the pistol pointed at the demon, and Bobby had his knife pointed as well. I'm standing next to Dean. The demon would not back down and so Dean fired, but the pistol blew up in his hand, only God knows why, and salt went everywhere; Bobby was swinging aimlessly at anything that would move, Dean was yelling because his hand had been burnt and I am caught in the middle of it!"

"After the salt had cleared," Dean stared, "We learned that the demon had gotten away and your father went ballistic! Cursing and swinging his knife! Me and Bobby just laughed, we couldn't take him serious with layers of salt in his mustache and hair!"

They all laughed, her father was crying, trying to catch his breath.

"And, he stops and looks at us and says, "Boys, you shouldn't be laughing because you look right ridiculous yourselves!" We had salt stuck to us for days!"

"Yes! We had some good times! You and Bobby were what kept me from going insane, or rather, you were the reasons I was insane! But then you met that girl, what was her name?"

Dean has stopped laughing and cleared his throat.

"Abby."

It was silent for a moment; Calliope could tell Dean was bothered by the topic.

"Well, I have some things to tend too, so, if you will excuse me." her father said, standing up and placing a kiss atop his daughters head before leaving.

"Anyway, sweetheart, I was wondering if you could go into town to see if anything has come from Bobby." he said, reaching into his pants pocket

"And while you're out, buy yourself something pretty to wear to tonight."

He placed a credit card on the table between them.

"Oh, Dean I couldn't, it's your money and I-"

Dean pushed the card towards her, cutting her off.

"It's the least I can do. After all, it's not my money." he said, smiling

She looked at the card for a moment and then to him.

"Alright, thank you." she said, picking it up.

"Like I said, sweetheart, least I can do."

After helping Dean back to bed and clearing the table of dishes, Calliope made her way to the town, the hustle and bustle swarming around her with shopping bags. She stopped in at the post office first, to get it out of the way. This time she was greeted by the Postman himself. He was short just like his wife and wore a pair of glasses that seemed a bit too small for his pudgy face.

"Can I help you dear?"

"Yes, I was just wondering if there is a letter here for Winchester, from Bobby Singer."

He checked behind him in the slits and then in the back room. He emerged from the back room, shaking his head.

"I'm sorry dear, that crate is expected to arrive tomorrow. But you come back and check if it is here then." he said, pushing his glasses further up his nose

"Alright, thank you."

Calliope made up her mind to check back the next day as she walked a bit further down the city street to the little dress shop where the latest fashions from London were displayed in the window for all to see.

One of the dresses displayed caught her eye. It was light purple; tight, and short with some ruffles. It was simple, nothing to flashy or overdone, and that was how she preferred things.

She let herself in; women were crowded all around, all there for the same reason. Young women squeezing themselves into dresses and tights, every color imaginable present on the clothes. Calliope made her way to the display window and felt the fabric of the purple dress. Silk and surprisingly, satin, not the heavier materials used on most dresses.

"That one's beautiful, isn't it?" she heard from behind her. She turned to see a young shop girl who had come to assist her. She could not be much older than herself, sixteen perhaps.

"Yes, it is."

"Would you like to try it on?" The red headed shop girl asked

Calliope nodded as the girl began to remove the dress from the mannequin, she gathered it in her as and told Calliope to follow her.

Calliope looked at herself in one of the mirrors. The dress fit almost perfectly, although it was a bit tight in the chest.

It was not heavy; she felt she could move freely and lightly. She nodded in the decision to buy the dress; she was very thankful towards Dean, without his generous donation, she would not have been able to afford it.

She left the dress shop feeling giddy and hopeful. She found herself unable to stop smiling. She nearly ran home, excited to show Dean what his money had bought her. She entered her home through the alley way door into the kitchen. She had almost overlooked the note left by her father on the table as she had meant to head to her room. She picked it up.

"Callie,

I've gone put on some business. Dean is aware of my absence and is currently and oddly enough, reading a book. I will be home tonight.

-Father"

She smiled at the comment over the book; Dean was still enthralled by it. She set the note down and headed for her room. As she passed the small sitting area of the house, she nearly had a heart attack as she saw Dean sitting there, book in hand, smiling at her.

"I didn't know you were in here." she said, her hand over her heart

"I thought a change of scenery would be nice." he said, patting the cushion next to him. She obeyed and sat at his side

"So, find anything nice?" he asked, looking at the package on her lap

She nodded her head.

"Well, let's see it!"

She removed the dress from the bag and held it up for him to see. He gave a low whistle and nodded approvingly.

"I like it!" he exclaimed, running his hand down his chin as he examined it. "Great choice."

She smiled and folded it up again.

"Anything from Bobby?" he asked

"No, the crate doesn't come in until tomorrow."

"Damn." he said, setting the book down and sighing. "I wish I knew where Sam was." he said, longingly. Callie was fully aware their legs were touching.

She kept her eyes locked on his smile, on his lips. She wanted to talk to him about last night, to ask him why he had done it and to ask how he felt about it. But she couldn't bring herself to form the words. Dean seemed to pick up on her thoughts.

"So," he started, "Tonight should be interesting."

Alright. Perhaps he had misread her.

"Oh, yes."

"You'll do fine, sweetheart. Just stick to what you did last night and you'll do fine."

"Dean. What if you're wrong? What if he doesn't feel the way you say he does? What if he doesn't kiss me?"

Dean sighed and placed his hand in her leg to reassure her but all it did was send an exhilarating chill through her.

"Callie, why are you so quick to doubt it? You think it impossible for him to have romantic feelings for you?" he asked, his hand still present on her leg

"I find it impossible for anyone to have romantic feelings for me." she said quietly, looking anywhere but at him, or his hand

She felt the absence of his hand on her thigh and she looked up to see a stern look plastered on his face.

"Well if you think that way, then it must be true." he hissed as he slowly lifted himself off of the couch.

His comment stung a bit, and she watched him limp towards the kitchen before turning to her.

"Where do you hide the beer?"


	16. Chapter 16

Calliope pinned the last few remaining strawberry blonde curls up out of her face so that they cascaded down her neck and back. She looked at herself, hardly satisfied. She pinched her cheeks to bring color to them and then all that was left was to add lipstick. She applied a small amount from the old stick her mother used to use.

Terrified. Absolutely. She found herself dreading this whole evening, but at the same time she had never been more excited. She had all but lost her social graces years ago and her ability to be shy during any situation would surly present itself tonight, yet she knew somewhere deep down in the recesses of her soul she could conjure up the might to be presentable. There was a soft knock on her door and she gave her permission to enter out loud. Dean's face appeared through the open crack in the door, a bottle in his hand and a smile on his face.

"Well, let's see you!" he said, sauntering into the room with a slight limp

Calliope stood up, and smoothed her skirts out, not meeting Dean's eyes; embarrassment creeping onto her cheeks.

"You look lovely." he said sincerely, leaning up against the wall

"Really?"

"Really. He'll be lost for words."

"Perhaps that's best because I've no idea what to say." she said as she began to pace

"Well, if you just want to go through the motions tonight, not really giving a shit, you can interject a few laughs here and there, comment on something you see and smile a lot. Or, you could just be yourself and talk to the man. Simple as that." Dean said

She put her hands over her face and groaned in despair.

"Uhg! This was an awful idea! Can't I cancel or fake being sick or something?"

A loud knock resounded through the house; Calliope and Dean looked at each other.

"Well, too late to cancel now." Dean chuckled before taking a swig of his beer.

"Son of a bitch.." Calliope muttered under her breath.

"You're learning a lot from me! Now c'mon!" Dean said sternly, taking her arm and leading her to the door

He propped himself up against the wall behind her when they reached the front door so he could have a front row seat to the event. Calliope took a deep breath and opened the door for Nathaniel whose hand was halfway to the door in preparation for another knock. His hair was cut shorter and his face was clean-shaven. Calliope noticed a hint of cologne on him.

"Hello." she said

"Oh! Miss McKenna! Heh, hello."

There was silence for a moment and it took all Dean had not to say something witty in the quiet.

"You look...stuzzling. I mean stunning. Dazzling. You..." He sputtered out

"Ye look beautiful!" Dean remarked, helping the poor guy out.

"Yes. You look beautiful." The doctor replied calmly

"Thank you." she whispered

"Well, um, shall we...?" Nathaniel asked, gesturing to the limosene outside.

Calliope nodded and turned to Dean quickly.

"You'll be fine." he mouthed, shooing her with his hands.

Nathaniel helped her into the car and then got in himself.

"Who's the driver?" she asked, taking in the green clothed interior of the limo.

"Oh! Benjamin Tuttle, Joshua's father! He owes me a favor." he chuckled

She smiled and endured the spinning of the wheels on the cracked street.

"The, eh, limosene is mine though. I named it Commodore."

"Commodore?" she laughed

"Yes, well, my sister named him...a while back."

"You have a sister?"

"Yes, well, had. She passed away a few years ago."

Calliope mentally slapped herself across the face for bringing it up.

"I'm sorry."

"It's alright. Her name was Roxane, she would be around twenty-two now." he said, looking into some distant memory

"How, um..."

"Cancer." he said

Calliope was about to relay to him the effects of the disease in her life, but he pointed out the window in awe.

"The Governor always knows how to lure in guests." he said

Calliope sat beside him to look out the window and was instantly excited by what she saw. The mansion, three stories high, covered in thousands of lights. The trees along the driveway were as well, candles securely attached to the barely budding branches. There were limosenes in front of them as well, forming a line. The closer they advanced upon the house, the more glamorous it all felt. She saw women being helped up the steps to the door by men in tuxedos. And others were conjugating at the base of the steps to leak the latest gossip to one another.

"Brilliant, isn't it?"

The limo stopped and Calliope heard the driver's feet hit the street before the door was opened for them.

"Thank you, Ben." Nathaniel said as he stepped out into the night air and held out his hand for Calliope.

They made their way up the steps and to the towering doorman who held a length of paper containing the names of the lucky and chosen people invited inside.

"Name please." the tall man said

"Doctor Nathaniel Frazier."

Calliope watched the doorman check the doctor's name off with his pen; he then peered down at Calliope.

"Oh, and my date, Calliope McKennna."

"Right then." The doorman muttered, allowing them entrance

As they walked through the door she could hear the doorman asking for names behind her. But in front of her she took in an even more spectacular view then the one from outside. The ballroom was swarming with life and laughter. An orchestra played in the corner of the room, the violinists playing their notes with closed eyes and intensity. People were already being swept across the dance floor by suitors beneath the crystal chandeliers. So many colors from dresses were buzzing by and around her and she felt dizzy from the rush of pigments. But the colors were so beautiful; she tolerated the dizziness it caused.

A rather large and stout woman came bounding towards her and the Doctor, her bleached hair and pink cheeks made her so beyond pale that Calliope wanted to touch her to feel if any life was running through her veins or if she was simply as she looked; dead.

"Oh Nathaniel!" she squealed, her breasts threatening to burst from their bonds as she breathed heavily from the short run it took to get there

"Teresa! How lovely to see you looking so lovely!" he said, taking her hand and placing a kiss there

"Oh, you are a shameless flatterer, Nathaniel!" she squeaked

"Is your husband here with you?" he asked

"Oh, that old lug! He's over in the corner talking business with some very boring men! I said "Georges, why did you come if all you are going to do is associate yourself with business men? We came to have fun!" but of course my old bum of a husband is anything but fun!"

Nathaniel laughed along with the woman who had a deep, hearty laugh.

"Oh my," she exclaimed, wiping a tear from her eye, "How very rude of me darling, I have not introduced myself!" she said to Calliope, taking her hand

"I'm Teresa Hautcourt." she said proudly

"Calliope McKenna."

"Calliope, Teresa is an old friend. Her brother and I attended the same university. How is good old Teddy anyway?" Nathaniel asked

"Oh you know Theodore, crazy notions and the like! At the moment he is currently abroad in Britain studying to be a doctor like you."

"Well, if you hear from him, let me know!"

"Of course! Oh, I better be off if I want to reserve good seats for the show! I end up in back with Georges every year and I'm so awfully short that I miss half of the play! How about I save two seats next to us for you two! Splendid! It was a pleasure meeting you dear. Toodles, Nathaniel!" she squeaked as she bounded off again

The doctor chuckled and shook his head.

"She is always so happy to see me." he said

The orchestra struck up the music again, playing a soft melody that could only be described as a waltz. The doctor shifted uncomfortably, holding Calliope's arm in the crook of his. Couples began to flood the floor again, including Mrs. Hautcourt who was not dancing with her husband but with a young doorman who seemed utterly confused as to why he was being dragged across the room by the large woman.

"Would you like to dance?" Nathaniel asked

"Yes." she answered

They made their way to the floor and Nathaniel took her hands and began to spin her into the waltz. He was smiling at her as they danced among the other couples and she couldn't help but look down at the ground where her feet were.

"You don't have to look at your feet the whole time." he said with a chuckle

She looked up, embarrassed. He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

"So...how exactly did you meet Mr. Winchester?"

Calliope relayed bits of the story to him as the orchestra changed tunes. She left out many things though; Dean and her book, the map, playing cards and the kiss were not brought up. These things were hers to keep to herself.

After a few dances, Nathaniel led Calliope to where champagne was being served. He took two glasses and gave one to her. She swallowed the sweet smelling bubbly liquid even though it burnt her throat on the way down.

"The play is about to start. Shall we go take our seats?" he asked

She nodded and followed him as he followed others out a wide pair of doors leading outside into the warm night air. There was a large stage that had been set up with rows of chairs.

"What show do you suppose they are putting on?" she asked as they found their sears next to Mrs. Hautcourt and her husband

"The Governor is showing a comedy; Shakespeare!" Teresa squealed excitedly

"Which one? There's about a million" Nathaniel asked, laughing

"Oh, Twelfth Night I do believe. It's his most popular one, at least that's what I heard! Isn't that right, Georges?" she asked

They all turned to see Georges asleep in his chair.

"Uh, what a bum."

They waited for several minutes as the other guests filled the chairs, and when the show was about to start, Calliope felt Nathaniel grab her hand and entwine his fingers with hers.

"It is starting." he leaned over and whispered

The curtain opened and the madness ensued. Every character was played by a man, as Shakespeare had intended it.

Twins, Viola and Sebastian are separated during a storm at sea and the brother is believed dead. The sister washes ashore in Illyria. Viola, the female lead is played by a man who is playing a woman who is disguised as a man who calls himself Cesario so that she may be employed by the Duke Orsino, whom she loves, yet the Duke is in love with the Lady Olivia who will not return his love.

So the Duke sends Cesario to read a love poem to Oliva, who believes Viola to be a man and she falls in love with her/him. Then the Duke finds himself attracted to Cesario/Viola. The audience roared with laughter as the play went on, especially when Malvolio comes before Olivia dressed in the color she hates most, yellow, and he is cross gartered. Then Sebastian surfaces and the Lady Oliva believes him to Cesario and hastily marries him. The Duke is notified of the marriage between Cesario and Olivia and becomes angry with Cesario who claims he is not married to the lady.

It all results in the characters meeting at Olivia's manner, where after some bickering it is discovered that Cesario is really Viola and she declares her love for the Duke Orsino who in turn returns the love, relived he had not fallen in love with a man. Olivia wonders who she married and Sebastian reveals himself and the twins are reunited. Even the maid and Olivia's uncle reveal their love for each other. The ending results in a triple wedding.

Calliope found herself laughing the entire time, while Nathaniel held her hand until the end so that he could clap. As the curtain closed, the guests chatted about the comedy, praising Shakespeare for his wit and smarts. Mrs. Hautcourt was left with the task of waking her husband as Nathaniel and Calliope promised to meet her inside.

"What did you think of the show?" The Doctor asked

"I thought it was hilarious and very ingenious."

"Yes, as did I."

They listened as an announcement was made that the fireworks would be shown in twenty minutes. They heard Teresa behind them as she reprimanded her husband.

"Honestly Georges, why do I take you anywhere? Next year you just may as well stay home and sleep there. Oh! Darlings! Wasn't the show fantastic?" she asked

They nodded their heads in agreement.

"Oh! There's Priscilla and Alexander! Over here you two!" she squawked and the couple may their way towards them

"Teresa! How wonderful to see you!" The man, Alexander, said

The woman, Priscilla, was slightly shorter than her red haired husband and seemed shy.

"Nathaniel, you remember Alexander and Priscilla? They were married last week!"

"Of course! Congratulations!" Nathaniel said as he shook their hands

"I don't believe we've met!" Alexander said to Calliope

"Alex, this is Calliope McKenna." The Doctor said

"Wonderful to meet you." she said, shaking the couples hands.

"So how has your search for that hunter been?" Mrs. Hautcourt asked

"Hunter?" Calliope spoke up

"Yes dear, Alexander is also training to be a hunter." Teresa answered

"We have been looking for the notorious Dean Winchester everywhere since we got a tip that he was here a few weeks ago." Alex said

Calliope's heart dropped into her feet and Nathaniel gripped her hand.

"Who...who is that?" she asked

"He's a pesky problem is what he is, and whoever finds him and turns him in is guaranteed a cash reward." said Alex

"A large cash reward." Teresa interjected

"The fireworks are going to start any minute." Priscilla said quietly

"True! Shall we?" Alex asked as they all made their way outside

Calliope pulled Nathaniel aside.

"I have to warn Dean." she said quietly, "I have to leave."

"Calliope, it will be ok. You can stay, Alexander is not going to go out looking for him tonight, especially not during the fireworks." he said, softly stroking her cheek

He was right, there was no harm at the moment, but she would have to warn him as soon as she returned home.

"Let's go enjoy the rest of the night, alright?" he asked

"Alright." she nodded

He took her hands and they went outside as the first of the fireworks went off.

An hour later Calliope was being helped into the limo by Benjamin, and Nathaniel followed.

"Those fireworks were spectacular." he sated

"I've never seen any before." Calliope confessed

He smiled

"Well I'm glad I could be there with you to experience them." he said

The ride home was fairly silent because Calliope was trying not to fall asleep. Nathaniel sat beside her and let her rest her head against his shoulder. She fell asleep for a bit and she was vaguely aware that he was still holding her hand.

Nathaniel shook her awake once she was home; he helped her out and walked her to her door. That stood there for a moment, their hands still locked and he stepped in closer to her, his lips lowering towards hers. She closed her eyes and...


	17. Chapter 17

Nothing.

The only thing she could feel was Nathaniel's lips on hers. She didn't understand. Wasn't she was supposed to feel a fluttering in her stomach? Shouldn't her heart be racing and her body be surging with life? Wasn't...wasn't she supposed to feel the way she did when Dean had kissed her?

Nathaniel pulled away from her slowly, a smile on his lips. Calliope did not quite know how to react, she had pictured this moment differently. The Doctor cleared his throat and stepped away from her.

"Thank you for coming with me tonight." he said

"Oh, um, you're welcome. I had a lovely time."

He took her hand in his, placing a kiss in the space between her knuckles.

"Goodnight Calliope."

"Goodnight Nathaniel."

Calliope rested her head against the door once she was inside. She was confused, to say the least. She liked Nathaniel, she really did. She had had a great time with him; he was funny and sweet and even tempered. He was handsome. But, that's where it ended. There were no romantic feelings involved on her side whatsoever. He was just a friend.

She sighed and made her way to the washroom where her bed was. She was exhausted, both mentally and physically. As she passed her room, the door opened and Dean appeared; heavy eyed and shirtless. He had been sleeping.

"How was it?" he asked groggily, rubbing his eyes

"Fun." she replied

He stared at her for a moment, waiting.

"That's it? It was fun?" he yawned, "Anything...interesting happen?"

She subconsciously found a curl and began to wrap her finger around it.

"We kissed."

He smiled and suddenly seemed wide awake.

"And?"

"It was nice."

Dean chuckled and opened the door wider.

"Come," he said, gesturing with his head for her to enter

She obeyed and sat in her chair as he limped over to the bed.

"Alright, tell Uncle Dean what happened." he demanded

"There's not much to tell. We danced, watched Shakespeare and some fireworks. He brought me home and we kissed." she replied

"I told you he likes you." he said

"Yes, well, I'm pretty sure I don't feel the same." she whispered

"Oh? And why is that?" Dean asked

"Because...I.."

She felt trapped. How was she supposed to explain this to Dean without telling him how she felt when he kissed her as opposed to when Nathaniel had kissed her?

"I just don't feel that way about him." she said after a minute

Dean sat for a minute with his index finger resting in his chin; thinking.

"You didn't feel anything, eh, extraordinary in that kiss, did you?"

She shook her head, her curls bouncing.

"Hmm. So he likes her but she doesn't like him." he muttered to himself, holding his hands out, weighing the options.

"I like him. We're friends. There's just nothing romantic between us."

"Well, sometimes you just know who the right person is and who the right person isn't, Callie. I'm sorry I forced you into going tonight."

She smiled

"Don't be. I did have fun." she said

"Good. You deserved some fun." he said, lying down on the bed

"What did you do while I was gone?"

He sat back up, a huge smirk plastered in his face.

"I finished your book."

"Really? Did you like it?" she asked, suppressing the urge to laugh at the look on his face

" I liked the ending very much, I'm glad they got together." he said

She finally laughed.

"I can't believe you were so taken by a love story." she giggled

"Well I can't believe you beat me, an expert card player, at cards so many freakin times. I guess we both surprised each other." he replied, laying back down

"I guess so." she said

He put his hands behind his head and closed his eyes.

She watched him with fascination, the way she had several times before. His chest falling and rising with each breath, his strong arms, his handsome face, his lips. She found herself aching to kiss him again. And then she remembered, Alexander!

"Lost in thought dearie?" he asked, as he looked at her

"Oh, yes! I met a man tonight..."

"Ooh, do tell!" he said

"No! A hunter! He said that the demons have been searching for you, I think Boone tipped them off before you two fought."

It was silent for a moment.

"Hmm...not a desirable situation to be in at the moment, but I think it will be alright. I think we really need to be worried when demons start going door to door looking for me."

"Are you sure?" she asked

"Quite. I have people all over the world searching for me and look where I am." he said with a smile

"Ok, well, goodnight then." she said with a yawn

"Goodnight, Callie." he said as she walked out

Calliope stripped off her dress and fell into bed, not caring that her curls were still up. She turned and faced the wall she shared with her room. On the other side was where Dean was sleeping. She understood now. That urge to kiss him again had meant something, a feeling. A feeling she didn't have for Nathaniel, but the feeling Nathaniel had for her. It made perfect sense.

She liked Dean.

He made her heart race, he made her laugh and caused her to be tongue-tied and infinitely shyer, she was undeniably attracted to him, and his touch sent a chill through her. He was smart, funny, alluring, kind, determined, strange, beautiful, and foreign. And she liked him.

Calliope quickly fell asleep with thoughts of him.

When morning came, Calliope heard the pitter-pat of rain against her window. She stretched and turned to see the grey sky pouring water down on everything, and a slight fog engulfed everything in sight.

She stood up, her curls falling into her face. She brushed them away and picked her purple shirt up off the floor, setting it on her bed. She dressed herself and pinned her curls back, ready to start the day.

She peeked into her room and noticed Dean wasn't there. She made her way onto the sitting room where, before entering, she heard her father and Dean's voices, the latter one making her heart jump. She walked into the room and was greeted with a smile,

"Good morning!" Dean chimed

The room was rather dark from the lack of light from outside. She smiled at Dean and noticed her father was quiet.

"What's wrong?" she asked as she turned on a light, causing the room to be full of shadows

"Oh, everything is quite alright, dear. I'm just tired is all."

She sat on the couch next to Dean instead of by her father.

"Where were you last night?" she inquired, remembering the note he had left

"Just out looking for a job. I think I may have found one as an assistant to Mr. Thomas, the town automachanic he said

"That's wonderful." she replied

Her father nodded and rubbed his eyes.

"Why don't you sleep some more, mate? You look awful." Dean suggested

"Yes yes. I suppose I could use more sleep."

"And maybe some food?" Calliope interjected

"No, I'm fine. I'll just get some rest." Henry said, slumping away towards his room

Calliope turned and looked at Dean who also turned to look at her as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Are you hungry?" she asked

"Not really. I'm actually aching to get outside but this rain hasn't let up all morning."

"Well, perhaps later it will stop."

They had no such luck. The rain continued into the afternoon, leaving Dean and Calliope playing cards for several hours in the sitting room.

"You win again." Dean said sleepily, setting his cards down, "Stupid rain."

Calliope relaxed against the couch and remembered that the mail ship was due to arrive today, although it might have been delayed or even cancelled because of the storm.

"A letter from Bobby might be in today." she said

Dean perked up at the name of his friend, but then sagged back down when he remembered the rain. Calliope noticed this and resolved to go check for it anyway.

"I actually don't mind the rain. I'll go into town to see if it came."

"Oh, Callie, you don't have to. You can wait 'till tomorrow."

She stood up and grabbed an umbrella that was hanging by the door.

"I'll be fine. It's just water, besides you have been looking forward to this letter for weeks. I'll only be a little while." she reassured him

"Well, be careful."

She nodded her head and opened the door, hearing the rain against her boots and feeling the moister in the air.

Despite the rain, several people were still out and about. As she walked she let her thoughts wonder to Dean and her newfound feelings for him. Whatever was she to do?

When she reached downtown it was busy as ever, and she felt hopeful that rain had not deterred the letter. As she stepped into the post shop, a few other hopeful people were crowded around inside. She approached a young woman who was waiting for a letter from her sailor sweetheart.

"Excuse me; do you know if the shipment has arrived?" Calliope asked the woman.

"Yes, it has! The postman is retrieving our letters as we speak." the blonde-haired woman said excitedly

"Thank you." she replied, hoping Dean's latter was among the shipment

Calliope waited as others got their letters and filed out the door until she was the last one.

"What can I get for you dear?" the postman asked

"I'm expecting a letter from a Mr. Bobby Singer." she said

The postman nodded and loomed through a few crates until he pulled out an envelope and set it on the counter.

Dean's name was written in rather shoddy handwriting and below that, "Bobby Singer" was written.

"Thank you." she said with a smile as she handed him some money.

She opened her umbrella and stepped back out into the rain, excited to see the look on Dean's face when he saw what she had brought him. She raced home, water splashing up onto her jeans.

When she reached her home, she entered through the front door and shut her umbrella. Dean was sitting, cross legged on the ground with his map in hand.

"Was it there?" he asked, looking up at her

She held up the letter for him to see and he smiled. She sat down next to him and handed the letter over. Dean opened it like a little child on Christmas morning, tearing it open and leaving the wrapping on the ground. He unfolded the parchment and began to read out loud.

"Dean,

Sam and I are sorry for leaving you behind but you understand I'm sure, what with the code and whatnot. After you didn't show up for hours, I sent out a search party for you, but the men came back empty handed. We figured you were either dead or had come up with some plan that we weren't aware of.

When you wrote that Boone was the interpreter, I knew that I had known something fishy was going on. I just didn't tell you because most of the time it's just me being superstitious. But me and Sam are glad you're alright, and your car is fine, you know I would never let anything happen to her while she was in my care.

Currently, we are somewhere about 100 miles off Baltimore where we figured we would wait until we heard word from you. We expect to be there in two weeks, depending on the weather.

Keep an eye out.

Bobby."

Dean lowered the letter and smiled.

"This is dated March the 30th. That was roughly week ago! He could be here in a week, easily!" he said, as he folded the letter.

This struck Calliope hard. A week. One week and he could be gone. She felt her heart drop. Just when she had fallen for him, he was leaving.

"That's wonderful, Dean." she whispered

"Back hunting. I've been cooped up for too long." Calliope stood up and turned towards the window, watching the rain come down harder than ana it had been an hour ago.

"What's wrong?" she heard behind her

She took a deep breath and told herself not to give anything away. That would be the worst thing she could do at this point, she decided.

"Nothing."

She felt his hand on her shoulder.

"Don't lie." he said quietly

"I'm worried about my father is all." she answered, holding back tears

"He's alright."

"What if he isn't? What if hasn't found a job at all and he's sick? What if he leaves me?" she asked as she began to cry

"Hey, Callie, please don't cry." he said, turning her to face him

Of course she wasn't talking about her father at all, but Dean didn't know that. She looked at him and he creased his eyebrows. One thing Dean couldn't stand was when a woman cried. He hated it.

"Hey, come here." he said quietly, pulling her into a hug

She buried her face in his shirt and continued to cry, as Dean awkwardly pet her hair. Calliope felt pathetic, and she willed herself to stop crying, but to no avail. Other than her father, he was the only person she had, without him she knew she would find herself lonely. She felt a little better due to the fact that she was being embraced by him, his strong arms around her.

"It'll be okay Callie. Your Dad's really trying hard." he whispered

She nodded her head against his chest, and took a deep breath which helped her stop crying. She didn't want Dean to let go but he stepped away from her and looked down at her.

"You okay?" he asked, one of his eyebrows cocked up

She nodded her head and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Sorry." she whispered, embarrassed

"Don't be."

Calliope nodded and made her way to her makeshift bedroom. She lied down and listened to the rain outside. Maybe it was better if he left; he didn't feel the same way about her anyway. Why did she feel this way? She shouldn't feel this way. It would be better if she didn't feel this way...

A little while later there was a knock at her door and she quietly allowed Dean to come in but he only peeked his head in.

"Your dad just left, he said he's going to talk to Mr. Thomas..." he said

"Alright."

"Do you mind if I come in?" he asked

"No." she whispered

He sauntered into the room and pulled up an old chair next to her bed.

"Are ye doing alright?"

"Yes. I'm only tired, I just can't sleep."

She heard Dean sigh.

"Have I told you the story of how I got my car?" he asked

She shook her head and turned to face him. Dean began to tell her how the angels had zapped him back in time and he told his father to choose it.

"She was really the first woman I loved." he said, a smirk on his face

"Dean?"

"Hmm?"

"Tell me about Abby."

Dean's face fell and he rubbed the back if his neck nervously.

"Unless it's too difficult for you."

"Nah. What do you want to know?"

"How did you fall in love with her?" Calliope asked

Dean cleared his throat and spun the necklace around his finger.

"Well, first off Boone loved her first, right when he laid eyes on her I guess. He met her in town, she had sold him something and he told her to come visit him sometime. It took time for me; at first I really didn't notice her. I was too busy hunting to worry about girls. She came and visited a lot when we were in her town, Boone spent all of his free time with her and I spent my free time melting silver into bullets and such."

"I remember one day she came by and Boone was sick with something, so she asked if I would like to take a break and take a walk with her. I gave in and we sat at the beach and talked for a while. We did that several times, Boone didn't seem to mind because I told him I wasn't interested in her, and he believed me because we were friends, but the more time I spent with her the more I saw why he adored her."

"She was hilarious, very witty and smart. I had never met a girl who could have an intellectual conversation like her. She was always so kind but she could put up a fight when she needed to, and she was so beautiful...I didn't understand how some much beauty could be reserved for one woman. She wasn't just beautiful on the outside, but on the inside as well."

"One day she came by, Boone had told me he was planning on telling her how he felt and for the first time I was angry about the way he talked about her. I didn't want him to tell her because it would mean that I could never be with her. They went out, and I was sick with worry the whole time. I mean, he was my friend and I wanted him to be happy, but I also knew I didn't want him to be with her."

"They came back and I was so relieved when he told me he had been too chicken to tell her. The next night she came by, Boone had told us that she was a singer, all of us begged her to sing, so she sang for us. On the first note I was hooked. I knew I loved her the moment she opened her mouth to sing. Although I was too proud to admit it, until the night she died."

Calliope watched Dean as he finished his story; he took a deep breath and looked at her.

"I've been with a lot of women, Callie, too many to count. It's how I forget her, although she keeps coming back. I've told plenty of girls that I loved them but I've only said it once and meant it once. I've heard it said back to me too. I know I've broken hearts and left ladies in the middle of the night, and I don't want to hurt anyone, I just don't want to get attached."

"Everything I have ever loved has been taken from me, the only things left are Sam and Bobby. I only had Abby for a little while, but I never stopped loving her and I never will. She's the only one who has ever loved me for me and not because I'm Dean Winchester."

"Do you find it impossible for anyone to love you for reasons other than your status as a hunter?" she asked him

"I've got nothing else to offer." he said as he stood up, saying goodnight before shutting the door behind him


	18. Chapter 18

The rain continued to pour for several days. Dean and Calliope were forced to stay inside, much to Dean's dismay. He had become quite grumpy from being trapped inside for weeks, most of the time he sat with a bottle in hand as he scoured over his map.

"I wish I could read this son of a bitch!" he growled

"Well, at least you know you're looking at a map of America, that's a start." Calliope said

Dean just huffed and took a swig of his beer.

Calliope smiled and set down the book she had been reading. Her father had gotten the job at the auto shop and she couldn't have been happier, aside from the fact that Dean would be leaving any day now. Tomorrow, even. She tried to stay away from these thoughts, they only depressed her, but every time she looked at him she was reminded of his departure. She knew it was a selfish thought but she wished he wasn't fully healed, that way she might have a bit more time with him. But he wasn't even limping anymore, and he told her it didn't even bother him.

"If this rain doesn't stop it might flood this whole town." Dean said

Calliope nodded in agreement. Dean suddenly stood up, a determined look on his face.

"What's wrong?" she asked, standing up as well

"You know what, Callie? I don't care if it's raining. I don't give a damn if there's a bloody tropical storm! I'm going outside, dammit!" he said, stumbling towards the door

"Dean, you can't be serious!" Calliope laughed

Dean opened the door only to be welcomed with rain splattering in his face.

"I am serious." he said as he quickly ran out into the street, instantly getting soaked

Calliope ran to the door and saw him standing there, rain drowning him, his shirt plastered to his body.

"C'mon out, Callie! The water is splendiferous!" he yelled above the deafening sound of large raindrops against the rooftops

"Absolutely not!" she said

He ran towards her, took her by the wrist and forced her out into the middle of the street where she was instantly soaked as well. She screeched as the water made her jeans cling to her legs and caused her hair to flatten.

"Dean!" she laughed, trying hard to be angry

Dean just laughed and muttered something about women and their hair.

"I'm going to kill you!" she yelled, sloshing towards him

"Really? What with?" he chuckled, backing up from her

She ran at him, the water making the tale-tale splishy-splashy sound as she did. Dean continued to back up, laughing at her attempts to grab him. Suddenly her legs became tangled and she fell to the ground.

"You alright?" Dean asked, reaching for her

She held out her hand and forced Dean down with her. He stared at her in mock pain and they both laughed. They must have looked like complete fools, sitting soaking wet in the middle of a rain storm on the street.

"Sneaky!" Dean said as he helped her up

Calliope laughed and took his hand.

"Come with me, I want to show you something." she said, clutching his hand in hers and dragging him along

"Where are you taking me?" he called over the rain

Calliope was running through alleyways, Dean was trailing behind her and trying to keep up. It was a bit difficult, running, their clothes seemed five tons heavier as the rain weighed them down. After a few turns through the alleys and down a few stairs Dean found himself on grass. He continued to follow her up a hill, trying not to slip down it.

"Look." she said as they made it to the top, out of breath

They both gazed out at the sea, which was tossing back and forth slightly. The water was perhaps eight feet or so below them, clear and free of rocks. Dean looked at the hills that surrounded them and then out at the horizon, wiping rain from his eyes as he did. Calliope was still breathing heavily, smiling.

"I come up here when I get the chance." she said, "Thought you might like to see it."

He smiled at her and began to take his shirt off, flinging it on the ground. He then sat down and removed his boots, belt and much to Calliope's horror, his pants, leaving him clad in his underwear.

She blushed as looked away.

"What are you doing?" she asked

He stood up and gave her a smirk.

"Swimming." he said, before he dove off into the water

Calliope gasped and ran to the edge, down on her knees, watching him surface.

"Are you crazy?" she yelled to him over the edge

"Of course I am!" he yelled back, treading water

"But it's storming!"

"And? C'mon join me!"

"No!"

He lay on his back, and smiled at her

"You'll be fine! It's perfectly safe! Live a little!"

She huffed and stood up. She looked at the pile of clothes he had left and she knew she would have to undress or her clothes would no doubt make her sink. She peered over the edge again, and saw him waiting. She watched the rain hit the water.

"Callie?" he called, splashing the water with his hands impatiently

She sighed and lifted her shirt over her head. She took off her jeans and boots and was freezing in her undergarments. She looked over the edge again and Dean saw her.

"That's the spirit! Now jump!"

She stepped towards the edge so that her toes peeked over, closed her eyes and took a deep breath, knowing that what she was about to do was the most foolish thing she had ever done. She said a quick prayer and let herself fall over. The sensation of falling was a beautiful one, but at the same time she felt nauseous. She hit the water and rose with a gasp.

"Lovely form!" Dean laughed

"I can't...believe you made...me do this!" she said

"Oh come now, you did that all by yourself!" Dean said, swimming towards her

Dean chuckled and splashed water in her face, as if she wasn't wet enough already, what with the rain and all.

"You're awful."

"And you're wet." he said

The water was surprisingly warm and the rain had begun to let up. The sun was peeking through the dreary gray clouds and a slight rainbow had formed between the hills. Dean was floating on his back, eyes closed towards the sky. Calliope treaded water next to him.

"Do hunters always do spontaneous afternoon swims in the rain?" she asked

"Only on Thursdays." he answered

"Then it wouldn't be spontaneous." she said

"But we don't do it every Thursday. We do it on random Thursdays." He sat up as swam up to her, holding up his wrinkled hands and laughing.

"What can I say, Callie? I live a life of freedom," he said chuckling, as he swam for shore.

She followed in his wake and then climbed back up the hill where their belongings were. The rain had all but stopped now and Dean sat down, looking out across the ocean and the hills, full of green and new energy thanks to the rain they had just received.

"I have a feeling Bobby will be here tomorrow." he said as she sat next to him.

"What about demons, don't you think they will be on the lookout? I mean, it's very risky for us to be out here right now."

Dean considered this in silence.

"You see just beyond that hill there?" he asked her, pointing

She nodded

"That's where Bobby stopped when it was here last. I hid in that cave until I was sure this town wasn't infected with demons." he said, pointing again to a small cave just near the shore

"So that's the plan then? Just run back to Bobby?" she asked

"Hopefully. I like to think this hunter guy you talk about will be too busy looking around town then at the actual road coming in; he won't even think of keeping an eye out by these hills." he said, laying on his back

She sighed, wishing they were not having this conversation.

"Where will you go after they come?" she asked

"Well I'm going to find me an interpreter first of all."

"You know Dean, why can't you just call one of your friends and ask a local to translate? Wouldn't that be easier?"

Dean repositioned himself so that he was resting up on his elbows.

"Already tried it. But the map is enchanted. Tried it a few years back. The moment I stepped onto their front porch, the entire map went blank. I can't have a hunter translate a blank map. The map needs to be translated before embarking."

"I have since learned that there is a phrase written on the map that needs to be said in order for the map to be seen to others."

"Dean, you talk about enchanted maps and religious items that have been lost for centuries and demons and the paranormal; it all just seems so impossible."

Dean stood up and grabbed his pants, slipping them back on.

"Well what fun is to be had if you don't believe in something every once in a while, eh?" he asked, putting on his boots. "No fun at all."

She smiled as stood up as well, slipping her damp shirt and boots back on. The sun was beginning to fall behind the hills and the rainbow had all but vanished. Dean and Calliope walked back through town in silence. Calliope hoped that he was wrong about Bobby showing up the next day, she begged for just a few more days with him, just a few more days to satisfy her was all she was asking for.

Once inside her home, she saw her father at the table, going through some papers.

"Well, where have you two been?" he asked, taking in the sight of them

"Just out and about." Calliope answered as she passed him, heading for her room.

She changed out of her damp clothes and brushed her hair out, which was tangled due to the salt water. Dean knocked on her door and she opened it to let him in. He fell onto her bed and smiled.

"I can feel it Callie." he said, using his hands to animate his words, "I'm gonna be in the Impala by this time tomorrow."

She wanted to yell at him and tell him to shut up about it already.

"One can only hope." she said quietly, continuing to brush her hair

"And did you see your Dad? He looks great; you shouldn't worry about him anymore. He was just telling me that he's making great pay at his new job's place."

She said nothing as she set her brush down and turned to look at him. He still didn't have a shirt on, which frustrated her a bit. How difficult was it to slip a shirt on to cover his chiseled, perfect, God like chest? He raised an eyebrow at her in question.

"What?" he asked

"I...you...put a shirt on." she stuttered, turning back around

She heard him chuckle.

"Why? Do my radiant features distract you from the oh so important task of brushing your hair?" he asked

"No! Just, who lies around without a shirt on? Really." she huffed

"All great men do. Caesar, Zeus...Attila the Hun. They all did. I hear Jesus was even known to bask his Godly goods in the sun every once in a while." Dean said, a smirk on his face

"Oh hush!" she said, flinging the towel she was using to dry her hair with at him

"I'm only joking. I hear Jesus was a great, modest man who helped many a destitute person, with his shirt on!"

She rolled her eyes and felt the towel land on her head, covering her face as she heard Dean's laughter.

As Calliope lay in her bed later that night, she silently cried. Dean was so excited to leave; she knew he must not care for her. If he did, he would not be so eager to go. He seemed so anxious to get away. She curled herself up in her blankets and wiped the tears from her eyes. She had to let all the tears out tonight so that when it came time for him to leave, she would shed none in his presence.

Tomorrow was the day, she felt it too. She felt everything was going to be different, in the worst possible way. She had already completely ruled out the option of telling Dean how she felt; it would just make things worse. It was better to have him leave thinking of her as only a friend and nothing more. And that's how she had to view him tomorrow; just a friend walking out of her life instead of a man she had feelings for. It would still hurt, just not as much.

She tossed and turned the whole night. Terrible nightmares entered her head; Alexander shooting Dean in the back as he tried to row away towards his ship, Dean laughing at her as she blurted out her feelings at the last second, her father joining forces with Alexander as they shot Dean for being a hunter and shot her for caring for him. Silly dreams, really.

She woke up in a cold sweat, darkness around her still as night had not yet moved into morning. She took a deep breath and pushed hercurls from her face. She turned on a light and walked into the kitchen for a drink; sitting at the table and slowly sipping on a glass of water.

The next thing she knew she was being poked. She opened her eyes and saw Dean smiling at her.

"Good morning, was it comfy sleeping there?" he asked with his sultry chuckle

She lifted her head from the table and realized she had passed out sometime after her drink of water. She sat up and rubbed her sore back.

"No, not comfortable at all." she said with a yawn

"Well, see, that's why we sleep in these wonderful things called beds. Tables are for eating'"

"What time is it?" she asked

"Hmm, morning time." he answered, biting into an apple

"Funny. Has my father left?"

"I suppose, I've only just woken up myself but I haven't seen him."

She nodded and stood up, grabbing an apple for herself.

"So, any news of Bobby being here yet?" she asked, controlled

"Negative, I have to be on the lookout, remember?"

"So you've got to sit and watch for him, all day?" she asked

He stopped for a moment, holding his apple in front of his mouth.

"I guess so." he said, before taking another bite

"Oh. Well, when are going, I'll come with you."

Dean pushed past her and headed for her room.

"No need. What do you need to watch for?" he asked

As they entered her room she saw all of Dean's things stacked up on her bed. His jacket, which he hadn't worn once his gun and holy water, and a few other things. He seriously knew he was leaving.

"Well, won't you get lonely? I mean, I could keep you company. You could be there for hours!" she said, panicking as he began to pick his things up

."I'll be fine! Besides, they won't be long."

"And how on earth could you possibly know that?" she asked

"I know my car, Callie, I can feel her. She's near." he answered

"Besides, the compass told me they would be here soon."

"Your compass? Your compass told you this? ...Your compass." she said, sitting in her chair

"Well it's not just any compass."

Her head was spinning; this was all happening too fast. She wanted to scream, to slow it all down.

"So that's it then. You're just leaving?" she whispered, holding back her tears

He stopped what he was doing and looked at her.

"Well what did you expect?" he asked

She shook her head, what had she expected?

"Look," he sighed, kneeling down by her, "I'm gonna be eternally grateful for all you've done, Callie. Kindness is a right rare thing these days and you're full of it. We'll always be friends; I owe you too much to just leave without letting you know that. We can always be friends, you and I. But I have to leave sometime, my life is on the road hunting with Sam and Bobby, I've been going crazy without it all."

She nodded her head as she listened.

"I'm sorry for saying you didn't have to come, if you want to wait with me you're more than welcome."

She wanted nothing more than to wait with him, but she knew it would be difficult watching him drive away; this was difficult enough. No, she couldn't do that.

"No, you're right, I don't need to wait with you, it's silly." she said

He nodded, his green eyes on her.

"Thank you. For everything, Callie. You saved my life and then let me kick you out of your own bed." he said with a smile

She smiled back, her throat tight, straining against her will to keep from crying.

He stood up, placing a kiss atop her head. She closed her eyes and relished the closeness.

He grabbed his leather jacket and put it on. He then turned to her and bowed his head slightly.

"Good bye, Calliope." he said

"Goodbye, Dean." she squeaked, her voice catching

He placed his gun in his inside jacket pocket grabbed a bottle of beer from the table near her bed, winked and left. He left. She sat in the chair and waited for the sound of the door closing. As soon as she heard it, she began to sob. He was gone. She placed her head in her hands and let herself cry. She didn't understand how it had happened so fast...the thought made her only sob harder.

She sat there for ages, her knees against her chest, arms wrapped around them, her face hidden by her hair; crying. When her legs started to numb, she stood up and made her way to her mirror. She looked awful. Her eyes were red, her face stained with tear streaks. She reached out and let her hand rest against the mirror, against the image of herself. She wished her mother was there to tell her how to deal with this.

Suddenly, something caught her eye in the mirror. She turned and saw that something on her bedside table. She rushed to the table and picked up his necklace.

He had left it for her. Her heart fell to her feet and she began to sob again, clutching it in her hand. And suddenly she stopped and looked at the necklace again, her mind reeling as she began to realize something.

She loved him. It had been there, all along, deep down inside her. She loved him.

She set the necklace down, throwing her boots on and racing towards the door. She ran with all her might down the street towards the hill where he would surely be waiting. She ran faster than she had ever done in her life. She watched people whiz by her as her heart pounded against her chest. She ran into the alleyways, bounded down the steps, all the while praying she wasn't too late. She couldn't be too late...

She began to run on grass instead of concrete as she raced up the hill.

"Dean!" she called out, her voice hoarse

"Dean!"

She reached the top and stopped short, shaking her head. She looked out at the horizon as a 1967 Chevy Impala sped away. She let out a shaky breath at the realization that she was too late.

"Dean..." she said as she watched his car drive away before her eyes.

"I'm in love with you."


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Hey guys! I feel like that there's a break in the story at this point and the next part will be part two of the story. I just wanted to recognize a few things first. I am overwhelmed and shocked by all of the view this story has gotten. I only wrote this for fun one day, and I did not expect this to take off like it did. I want to thank my followers for their continued support and I hope you keep enjoying the story. Is there anything you would want me to add to this story that would make it better, in your opinion? How do you like it so far? Is there anything that you particularly enjoyed or found interesting? Leave me a review with your answers! Once again, I appreciate your support and I hope you enjoy part two!**

Several months had passed since Dean had left. Calliope found herself lost sometimes. For the first week she had locked herself in her room and alternated between crying and sleeping. Her father had tried to coax her out, but of course he did not know what was wrong.

She found that she no longer knew what to do with herself; her father was taking care of himself and Dean wasn't there for company any longer. She tried reading, only she couldn't focus on the words or the story so she eventually quit. Most times she just wondered the town, fiddling with the necklace she kept around her neck. She had run into Nathaniel one day; he was all smiles of course. She had told him Dean had left and she kept it at that.

One day she finally told herself that she had to quit wondering aimlessly around like a ghost with no purpose. She willed herself to forget about Dean, for he had surely done the same with her. She stashed his necklace away, deep in a drawer along with the Jane Austen novel, for every time she came across it her heart fell just as Anne's did when she had seen Frederick for the first time in thirteen years.

Calliope slowly started to push the memories of Dean in the back of her mind as a year passed, as two years passed. And then three. She did of course relapse a few times, when she was rifling through her drawer and she happened upon the necklace, the memories came flooding back. Or when Nathaniel would ask if she had heard anything from him.

Nathaniel had become her best friend over the course of three years, although he had not professed his love for her, she knew it was there. They hadn't kissed since that night at the ball; while they were together they were simply friends. But the Doctor did love her, they both knew it, he thought only of her. But she did not love him, every time she sat and tried to ask herself why she shouldn't be with such a respectable man and friend, Dean came to mind.

She also had acquired a job as a barmaid at the local bar to help her father with the income. And then one day, she discovered her father on the floor of their kitchen, face down and completely unconscious. Nathaniel explained to her that his liver was failing, that he was still quite ill.

"I don't understand, he has been perfectly fine." she said as they sat by the fire

"Calliope, this kind of illness does not just sneak up on a person; it takes time to damage an organ like his has been-"

"What are you trying to say? That my father has been lying to me for years about his drinking habits?" she asked

Nathaniel took her hand and looked her in the eyes, willing her to understand.

"Nate, no...he.."

"Callie, there is no other explanation, I'm sorry."

She turned away from him.

"How long does he have?" she whispered

"Three months, maybe four. I'm surprised he has lasted this long without any signs... Oh don't cry."

"What am I supposed to do? We'll lose the house, I'll lose my job if I have to take care of him all the time!..I...I can't lose him. I'll have lost everyone I love." she wept

He took her hand in his, sighed and told her to look at him.

"Callie, I know it's no surprise how I feel about you..."

"Nathaniel." she said

"No, let me finish...I...I love you, Calliope. I have for almost four years now." he said, the fire casting a shadow across his handsome face

"I know." she whispered

"I... I don't know how you feel about me, so what I'm about to say may...shock you, but know that I do love and care about you, immensely."

She nodded her head, feeling extremely guilty that she was not repeating these words back to him. He sighed and clutched her hand tighter.

"Marry me, Callie. I will be able to provide for you and your father for however long he has left. I will provide for you and love you."

Calliope felt as if she couldn't breathe. She loved Nathaniel, she did, but not enough to marry him, not in a way that would make her want to sleep in the same bed as him. Yet, he could provide for her, he could ensure her a home and comfort for her dying father. Whatever was she to say? She closed her eyes tight and saw Dean, felt his lips on hers, heard his voice.

"You've had quite a shock today, so don't feel pressured to answer right away. Sleep on it, alright?" he asked, leaning in and kissing her on the cheek.

She nodded, completely lost in thought.

"If anything changes with your father tonight, let me know. And if you need me..." he trailed off; she knew where to find him

"Thank you, Nate. Goodnight." she said, faintly

"Goodnight Callie."

Calliope sat curled up by the fire and watched as the logs slowly burned away, just as everything in her life had; her way of life, her mother, Dean, and now her father. Yet Nathaniel was offering her something so vital, and she couldn't imagine a sweeter man on the planet. But could she really marry him? Could she really call herself Mrs. Calliope Frazier? Could she really sleep with him at night?

She buried her head in her hands and searched her soul, but the only thing she saw was Dean. No! She had to stop! It had been nearly four years, and he was never coming back, she had to face it already. She had to...she had to...no. She knew she couldn't. She would never be able to forget that man. She got up and made her way to her father's room where he laid in bed, asleep from the drugs. She held his hand and sat by his side.

"What have you done to yourself, Father?" she asked out loud, "You've killed yourself, and you promised me, you told me you would stop. You promised Mother."

She sighed and rested her head against the bed.

"Nathaniel's asked me to marry him, and I don't know what to say. I love him, but not like a wife loves a husband, not like you loved Mother...I love someone else who I haven't seen for years! How utterly foolish. But I love him, father. I love Dean and I cannot forget him, no matter how hard I try, he is always in the back of my mind. I can't..."

Her father stirred in his sleep and she began to cry.

"Please don't leave me...I need you. I don't know what I'll do without you."

Calliope woke up next to her father, their hands still clasped and he was watching her.

"Father..." she said, sitting up

"My Callie," he said, his voice gravelly and rough

All she managed to utter was, "Why?"

"Because I miss her...and you, you no longer need me, you're a grown woman now, there is nothing left for me."

"That is not true, I do need you."

"Please, Calliope...You've been on your own since you were seventeen. I haven't been here for you since your mother left us." he said, coughing

"Are you hungry?" she asked, refusing to continue the subject

As Calliope readied herself for work, she told herself that afterwards she would go to Nathaniel and accept his proposal. She could do it; it would not be so terrible. She left her father sleeping, praying she could possibly get off early to make sure he was alright.

She walked into the back room of "The Tempest" and smiled at her co-workers Harriet and Selina; her favorites. Harriet was a tall, dark-skinned woman with brown eyes and brown hair, and she was loud...very loud. Selina was a fiery Hispanic who was possibly the most beautiful woman Calliope had ever seen, next to her mother. She had long brown hair and unusual blue eyes and had a tendency to go into Spanish tirades.

"Calliope, I heard about your father, lo siento, I am so sorry, carino." Selina said the moment she saw her

"Thank you Selina." she said, going behind the counter

"Your father? What happened?" Harriet asked, as she filled a few mugs

"He's sick, Harriet, didn't you hear?"

"Selina, if I had heard, why would I have asked what happened?" Harriet asked saucily with a hand on her hip

"Oh, no te pongas actitud conmigo!" Selina said, also putting her hands on her hips

"Ladies, ladies! Leave your problems at home; here you are classy women who serve men spirits, alright?" Danielle, the owner of the tavern declared

"Mandon, mandon!" Selina said quickly under her breath

Calliope smiled, this was the one place she loved to be, it was ever so entertaining. She tied her apron on and grabbed a few bottles, handing them out to men at various tables.

She walked up to the bar, and smiled at Danielle. She was an older woman, perhaps in her fifties. She had blond hair that she always kept up and large green eyes that always seemed to be watching her workers. She was nice, but could be a bit demanding sometimes.

"Sorry to hear about your father, Callie." she said as she wiped down the bar

"Thank you."

That was really all she could say. The next few hours consisted of the three women handing out alcohol and cleaning anything and everything Danielle told them to. Finally, Calliope was behind the bar, so all she had to do was remove empty bottles and replace them with full ones. But her mind was on more than just bottles, she was terrified of seeing Nathaniel later that night.

Just then, she was startled as she heard a familiar voice. She looked up towards the door and nearly dropped the bottle she had in her hand. The owner of the voice sat down at an empty table after saying something to a few men. Her heart had all but leaped out of her chest and run away. She could not breathe and her palms became so sweaty, she had to set the bottle down before it shattered.

There, at the table, sat the man she was in love with, Dean Winchester.

She quickly turned around and entered the back room, leaning up against the wall. She tried to catch her breath, to hold her shaking hands still. She felt as if she was going to faint.

"Oh, Callie, Danielle needs you to clear out the boxes in-are you alright?" Harriet asked, rushing to her side, calling Selina

"Lo que esta mal? What is wrong?" Selina asked

"It's him." Calliope said, covering her mouth

"Who?" they asked

"HIM! Dean! He's here!" she whispered

The two women looked at each other. They knew perfectly well whom she was talking about; Calliope had told them many times about the man she was in love with.

"Oh! Him!" Harriet said

"Where? Show us!" Selina demanded

The three women crowded around the door and Calliope opened it just enough to peek through.

"Right there, at the first table. The one with the short light brown hair and leather jacket." She said

Harriet gave a low whistle of approval.

"Maldita sea, que esta caliente! He's very good looking." Selina said

"What do I do? I haven't seen him in four years!"

"You have to go talk to him!" Harriet said

"No, I can't! What if he doesn't remember me?"

"Tonterias! You saved his life! He hasn't forgotten you! Go serve him a drink!"

"No, I-"

Before she knew it, bottles were shoved into her hands and she was being pushed out in front of the bar.

"Go!" Harriet hissed, giving her a shove

Calliope closed her eyes and took a deep breath, willing her feet to move.

"Good evening, sir." she said, controlling her voice as she set a bottle down.

He looked at her for only a second.

"Thanks." he said, opening the bottle

He didn't even see her. She turned around, embarrassed, the two women watching her.

"Erm, excuse me, could you tell me what time it is?" he asked, she turned around and pointed to the large clock mounted on the wall

"It's 10:00, sir."

"Oh, thanks I'm meeting someone here at..." he stopped and looked at her, recognition registering on his face

"Calliope?" he asked, an eyebrow cocked

Her heart melted at the sound of him saying her name, she nearly burst into tears.

"Hello, Dean." she said

He smiled and stood up, wrapping his arms around her.

"How are you?" he asked, amazed

She tried to control her breathing as he hugged her.

"I'm good, how are you?" she asked

"I'm great!"

He let go and sat back down, a huge smile on his face.

"How long has it been? Three years?" he asked, taking a swig from his bottle

Four. Almost four, she said to herself.

"Somewhere around there." she said

"Well sit down!" he said

She turned to look at the two women who were handing out drinks but still keeping an eye on her.

"I...I can't right now, but my shift ends in about twenty minutes." she said

"Sounds great, Callie." he said, winking.

He felt her knees go weak as she turned and walked back to the bar in a daze.

"So?" Selina asked

"I'm going to sit with him after my shift." She said, hardly containing a smile

"No! Go sit now!"

"But, my shift it-"

"I'll cover for you! Shoo! Go!" Selina said, taking Calliope's apron from her

Calliope walked back over to the table where Dean was sitting, and sat across from him.

"Eh, back so soon?"

She smiled and she smiled back. She thought she just might die.


	20. Chapter 20

She hoped that she had not changed against his liking. She thought she was still as she had been four years ago. Long strawberry blonde hair, blue eyes...perhaps she had grown a bit taller? No. She must stop thinking; she did not want to miss a single word coming from Dean's perfect lips.

"...the son of a bitch." Dean said

She nodded as if she had heard that last sentence and smiled.

"So Callie, how have you been?" he asked, chewing on the corner of his thumbnail

"Oh, um.."

Things have been hard. I've desperately missed you and your company...

"I've been good. Things have been...ok."

"Ok, why ok?" Dean asked

"My Father...I've just found out that he is ill"

"Ill?"

She nodded her head.

"He doesn't have much time left." she said, her eyes downcast.

Dean was quiet for a moment which left the bar's noises louder than they had been moments ago. Dean reached out and took her hand, her eyes locking on that.

"I'm really sorry." he whispered

"Thank you."

"What else, any happier news?" he asked

Happy? Anything happy about the past four years?

"Nathaniel. He's asked me to marry him." she replied

That may have been happy news to someone who was in love with the Doctor, something she was not.

Dean stared at her with wide eyes.

"He asked you to marry him? I thought you didn't...feel that way…about him." Dean said, using his fingers to put mock quotations around his words

"Well, I don't. I didn't. I.."

"What did you say?"

"I haven't given him an answer yet."

Dean locked at her while he shook his head.

"Looks like you have gotten yourself into a pretty big predicament while I was gone."

"Yes. I have." Calliope answered, "What about you, Dean? Have you been on any hunts?"

Dean chuckled, leaning forward.

"You could say that."

"Any involving your map?"

"Ha! You remembered!"

"Of course I did." she whispered

"Nah, I've been too busy chasing my brother around." he said

Calliope laughed.

"You must tell me."

Dean was in the middle of telling Calliope of his adventures with Mr. Sam Winchester and his problems when they were interrupted by a man who stood by their table and asked in a low voice if Dean was in fact...Dean.

"Who's asking?"

The man pulled out what appeared to be a rolled up map.

"Mr. Grail." The man said with a chuckle

"I'm Dean Winchester." He said, shaking the man's hand

The man looked at Calliope quizzically.

"Oh, she's fine, she's a friend." Dean said as the man pulled out a chair for himself and sat

"So, you can help me?" Dean asked

The man grumbled something and unrolled the map; Calliope recognized it as being Dean's map.

"Yes, I can help you. Now that I have looked over it, I'll be expecting the fee I mentioned to Bobby."

Dean nodded his head, setting his wallet on the table only to have it be swiped by the man.

"What's going on, Dean?" she asked

"This man's going to translate me map...for real this time. We agreed to meet here, hence my presence." he said with a smile

Of all places why meet here?

"Shall we begin?" The man asked

Dean nodded.

"Desaparecer sen mais e me amosar o camino." the man read aloud

"What does it mean?" Dean asked, extremely attentive

"It means 'Vanish no more and show me the way.' It is what you must say so that the map will not go blank when other people touch it."

Dean nodded, taking a mental note. Calliope sat by quietly and watched.

"As you already know it is a map of an area of America, more importantly, it's a map of Kansas. This is where it is hidden; the map leads to a chapel, Rosslyn Chapel to be exact. It says here the Chapel was built in 1456 as the resting place for the devil."

"Then right here by where the chapel is marked, it says 'Soporte Aprendiz', which means, Apprentice Pillar. The Apprentice Pillar is one of six pillars in a circular room in the Chapel, something important is hidden in this pillar, although it is not mentioned which pillar is the Apprentice. And that's all it says."

"Nothing more?"

"Nothing more, Dean."

"So I go into this chapel and guess which pillar to tear down?" Dean asked, a bit annoyed

"Well, that's just it, you can't go around tearing down all the pillars, they keep the ceiling up, tear them all down, the room comes tumbling down."

Dean sat for a minute, tapping his index finger to his chin.

"That's all you can translate for me?" Dean asked

"It's all there is to translate." The man said

Dean nodded and stood up, the man following him.

"Thanks, you've helped greatly." Dean said, shaking the man's hand

The man shook back and left the table, wallet in hand.

Calliope waited for Dean to say something as he sat and looked at the map, mouthing the Latin words, memorizing their English meanings.

"Vanish no more and show me the way." he mumbled before taking a swig of his beer.

"Well, that's a hell of a lot more information then I came in with." he said to Calliope

"Is that where you're off to, then? Kansas?" She asked, knowing he was going to leave

"Yeah." he said, with a nod of his head. "Perhaps stay here a day, stock up. I bet the police have forgotten I was even here."

"I've heard nothing." she said

He nodded his head and took one last swig of his beer.

"Walk you home?" he asked, standing up

She smiled. At least this time show would get a chance to properly say goodbye to him.

"I'd love that." she said, standing up as well

As they made their way towards the door, she saw Selina and Harriet who were all smiles, perhaps they thought she was leaving with him, taking him to her house. Although she was not that kind of girl, she smiled back and they looked thrilled.

They stepped into the fall night air which was a bit chilly.

Calliope ran her hands up and down her arms to rid herself of goose bumps and to warm her body. The only sound that was heard was Dean and Calliope's footsteps on the cobblestone street.

"It's cold out tonight." Dean said beside her

She nodded, her arms still wrapped around herself.

"So, are you gonna say yes to the Doctor?" he asked, following her

Before she left for work today, she had made up her mind that he was going to, but then she saw Dean who threw a wrench into the whole thing. But he was leaving, again.

"Yes, I think so." she said, "I have to."

"You have to? Why do you say that?"

"Because now that my Father is ill, I need to take care of him and Nathaniel can provide for us."

"Whoa." Dean said, taking her arm and stopping her in her tracks

"What?"

"You're planning a wedding based on necessity? Do you love the man?" he asked

"Well, of course I love him; I've known him for a while an..."

"Do you love him?" Dean asked again, more stern this time

How could she say yes to the man in front of her? She could only just make out his handsome face in the dark, and she so desperately wanted him closer. No she did not love Nathaniel. She loved Dean. She loved him.

"...No." She answered

"No. You don't. So why marry him, Callie? You want to be with a man you don't luv for the rest of your life, simply because said man can take care of you? You want to lie in bed the rest of your life by a man you married because you were scared and troubled for a moment and you thought it the best way out? You want to make love to a man whom you have no desire for?"

He was looking at her intensely, still holding onto her arm.

"Smart match or not, you do not love him. So you don't marry him. Find someone you do love who can take care of you. Do not sell yourself short based on the fact that you think you can't find anyone better. Don't marry anyone you can't imagine lying next to for the next thirty years."

Calliope was nearly breathless; the intensity of what he had just spoken hit her full force. His words weighed heavy on her soul and mind, he was so close, and all she had to was move a few more inches and their faces would be touching. It was a powerful moment that was broken by the sound of footsteps behind them.

Dean released her arm and shuffled a bit.

"Think about it before you accept his proposal is all I'm saying, Callie." he said, walking ahead of her

She ran up next to him because he didn't know the way to her home. They walked like that, side by side in silence. He was right. She was settling because she was frightened of the future and what she might have to resort to. She was afraid of being alone after her father passed away. Problem with all of it was she loved the man who was beside her at the moment, and she couldn't very well just say, "Well, Dean, I love you so marry me and I won't have to say yes to Nathaniel."

No. How foolish. But he was right. She could not accept Nathaniel; she could not imagine lying next to him for the next thirty years and however much it embarrassed her to think of this subject, she did not have the desire to make love to him. They stopped in front of her house and Calliope felt like crying as Dean turned to her. She knew a goodbye was coming. She didn't know if she could handle this, again.

"Well, it was good seeing you tonight." he said

"Yes, it was lovely to see you as well."

"Good luck with everything, your dad and the doctor. Tell your dad hi for me, if you could."

"I will, I'm sure he will be as pleased as is allowed in his...condition."

Dean smiled nodded his head.

"Will I see you again, Dean?" she asked

"Maybe someday, if the road brings me back."

"I hope it does." she whispered, holding back tears

Dean stepped forward, leaned down and kissed her softly on the forehead. She could feel his stubble against her skin and he smelled of beer and leather. She never wanted this moment to end. He pulled back and smirked, famously.

"Make the right choice, Callie. And however cheesy and cliché it may sound, just do what your heart tells you." he said.

"I will." she whispered

"Bye." he replied, turning around and walking away

She stood and watched as the man she loved walked out of her life for the second time, tears running down her face. She fought, so hard, the urge to call out. She closed her eyes and imagined herself doing so. She imagined yelling at him to stop and her running towards him telling him not to leave, him opening his arms to catch her as she told him she loved him and him kissing her, saying it back.

But she opened her eyes and he was gone, again. She turned towards the door and rested her head against it. It would have been easier if he had not come back at all. She entered her home and made her way to where her father was. She walked in his room to find him sleeping soundly. She was glad, for she was tired and simply wanted to sleep.

She took her clothes off and stepped away from the pool of fabric around her feet, falling onto her bed, the bed Dean had once slept in, incapacitated and relying on her for everything. She closed her eyes, trying to cast out those memories and the ones of his recent proximity. It took all her strength not to roll on her side and sob. She held in tears, biting the inside if her cheek until she tasted sweet, metallic blood to remind her that she needn't cry over it. But she fell asleep to the taste of blood and spilt tears and to the sound of Dean's voice, much to her dismay.

It seemed as though she has only closed her eyes for a moment when she was being shaken awake, a mess of words she didn't understand entering her mind, trying to process them. Suddenly everything became a bit clearer and she saw Dean in front of her, yelling at her.

"Wake up, Calliope! You need to get up!"

"What?" She asked groggily as he pulled her out of bed

"What is going on, why are you here?"

"I need you listen, alright? Boone and his entire demon crew have followed me here, they are tearing down the whole town looking for me, and I need to get you out of here!" he said, throwing her boots onto her bed

Calliope ran to her window and looked outside. Everything was ablaze with fire; she could barely make out the sounds of screams. Her blood pulsed through her with terror. Dean grabbed her arm, turning her around.

"Do not think! Just put these on!" he said, shoving her boots in her hands

She obeyed, still in shock and still half asleep. She quickly laced up her boots and Dean pulled her out of her room towards the front door.

"Dean, my Father!" she screeched, pulling away from him and running to her father's room

She threw his door open and ran to his bedside.

"Father, wake up!" she said, shaking him

He opened his eyes in confusion.

"Hurry up, Calliope." Dean growled

"Father, get up!" she yelled, trying to pull him from the bed

"What is the matter?" he asked

"We're in danger! Please!"

She tried to pull him up, to get him out of his bed but he was still disoriented.

"Sir, I don't mean to rush you, but you need to get your ass up, now!" Dean said

The sound of glass breaking filled their ears and voices were heard. Calliope turned to Dean. He put a finger to his lips.

"Father, please!" she begged in whispers

"Callie, leave me." he said calmly, bringing his hand up to her cheek

"What? Don't be silly, get up!"

"Leave me, my child, I will only slow you down, I'm a dying man."

"Do not say such things! Please get up!"

"Callie, now!" Dean growled again

"Dean, please get her to safety. Leave me here." Henry said to Dean, who looked at him for a second and nodded understanding

"No!" She protested quietly

"Let's go!" Dean said grabbing her

"It's ok, Calliope, let me go."

Dean pulled her away and he hit him again and again to let her go.

"Let me go, Callie." her father said again

Dean finally picked her up, throwing her over his shoulder.

"No!" she screamed out

" In here!" the heard from somewhere in the house

"I'm sorry." Dean said, rushing to the window.

"Let me go! Dean, please!" she screamed

Dean grabbed a chair and threw it against the window, the glass shattering around his feet. He quickly pulled a few jagged pieces out of the way and holding tightly to Calliope, he hopped out into the rain.

Calliope caught a glimpse of her father and the smile on his face before Dean hopped out the window.

"No!" she screamed, hitting Dean against the back "Let me go!"

Dean ran into the alleyway, setting her down, both of them getting soaked.

"Take me back, save him!" she shrieked

"It's too late!" he yelled back

She turned toward her house just in time to see it light up in flames, the rain doing nothing to quench it.


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: I understand that some parts of the story may be confusing, so if you have any questions/suggestions just leave me a message or review and I'll answer!**

"NO!" she cried running for her home. "NO!"

Dean caught her in his arms and tried her calm her.

"NO! You bastard! You left him!" she cried, trying to escape his tight grip

"Shh. It's alright." he said

"No! No!"

She turned and hit him over and over with her fists against his chest, yelling obscenities at him. He let her, he simply held her as he fought him.

"You coward...you just left him! I hate you! Let me go! Let me go!" she screeched turning back toward the house

"No! Father! No!"

Dean kept his grip on her as she fell to the ground in a puddle, sobbing

"I'm so sorry, Callie." he whispered as he watched her house burn

She again tried to run from him, but he only held on.

"Please let me go." she sobbed

"It's too late. It's too late."

The house fell into a pile of burning rubble, sending Calliope into another round of hysterics. Dean picked her up and moved further into the maze of alleyways, trying to hide. Calliope sobbed into his chest as he got lost, unsure of where to go. He set her down on the ground, cupping her face in his hands.

"I need to know where to go." he said, rain running down his face

She turned away from him, angry and hurt.

"Callie." he said sternly

She turned back, tears falling down her face, mixing with the rain.

"Where do we go?"

"Nathaniel's, if it hasn't burnt and if he isn't dead." she whispered

"Take us there." he said, trying to pick her back up

She slapped his hand away and stood up on her own, leading the way. She silently wept as she saw her father's face in her mind.

Everywhere she looked, there was chaos and fire. People screaming and crying, calling out for loved ones. The rain poured down mercilessly, mixing in with the horrifying sounds sound them. Dean took in the sight for a moment.

"This is all my fault." he whispered

They continued en route when Calliope was suddenly pulled back into Dean's arms and pushed into the shadows as demons came down the alleyway.

"We have to find him! Boone said there's a reward to the person that does!" one said, laughing

Calliope and Dean were pressed together in the shadows, her heart beating so quickly she thought she might faint. She felt his heart against her as well and matched hers in intensity.

"Dean.." she whispered

"Shh." he said, waiting for the demons to pass

Once they were gone, Dean and Calliope began to run towards Nathaniel's house, which, luckily, was not in the middle of town like everything Boone's crew was attacking.

They reached his front door and Calliope knocked loudly, calling out his name. The door opened slightly and Nathaniel peeked out and upon seeing her, he threw the door open.

"Callie, thank God!" he cried, pulling her into his arms

"Can we stay here?" she asked

"We?" Nathaniel asked

He looked up and was surprised to see Dean.

"Of course, hurry, get in." he said

They were pushed inside, Calliope still wrapped in his arms.

"I was so worried, I had people here hurt and I couldn't leave. Thank you for getting her here safe, Dean. Are you alright, darling?" he asked, as she burst into tears and buried her face in his chest

Nathaniel looked to Dean, ready to kill him if he had hurt her.

"Her Father...he didn't make it out." he said

Nathaniel held her tighter as Dean sat in a chair in front of the fire that burnt in the fire place. In the room adjacent to them were a few people on makeshift cots, being tended to by a much older Joshua and a woman who appeared to be his mother.

Dean sat and stared blankly at the fire place, his hand over his mouth.

"What's happening out there, Winchester?" Nathaniel asked, still holding a sobbing Calliope

"It's the demons and their leader, Viktor Boone. They are looking for me. This is all my fault." he said

Calliope pulled away from Nathaniel, wiping tears from her eyes.

"Dean." she said, hiccupping and sitting next to him

He turned to her, his brow knitted together in worry.

"It's not your fault, don't...don't blame yourself." she said

"Calliope." he whispered, taking her hand "Your Dad, I'm...so sorry. There was nothing to be done."

She began to cry again, causing Nathaniel to fly to her side. She gave Dean's hand a squeeze, letting him know she understood, and he nodded.

"I should leave." Dean said, "Before I cause more trouble. Sam and Bobby may need me."

"No!" Calliope protested

"Don't be impractical, Dean. You're fine here." Nathaniel said

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. You can stay here for the night. There's a room upstairs you can take." Nathaniel insisted, showing Dean.

Calliope sat by the fire, the flames bursting into her mind, reminding her of her house falling to rubble with her father inside. She buried her face in her hands and began to cry again. And Dean…. she had called him things she didn't mean; she had said she hated him. She felt awful.

Nathaniel came and sat beside her, taking her hand. He let her head fall in his lap as he stroked her hair.

"I'm sorry, Callie." he said

"He's gone. My house was on fire, he was inside it..he.."

"I know, but your safe, that's all that matters."

"He told us to leave him there, Nathaniel. He told Dean to leave him and get me to safety."

The Doctor continued to pet her hair, until she fell asleep, from pure exhaustion, otherwise she would have still been up, obsessing over the images in her mind,

A few hours later she woke up, it was still dark outside and she saw Nathaniel on the chair next to her. She sat up and the couch creaked, causing Nathaniel to wake.

"Sorry." she whispered

"Never mind it. How are you doing?" he asked, moving next to her

"Alright, for now." she said, "Dean?"

"He's asleep upstairs."

She nodded.

"Are you going to be alright?" he asked, the fire crackling

"I'll be fine. What else can I do?"

"I know now is not the greatest time, but have you considered my proposal? Since your father has...passed on, perhaps there is no reason for it anymore." he said

"Nate..." She began to whisper, but was cut off by Nathaniel's lips against her own.

She was taken aback as he kissed her, her mind raced to the time when they had first done this and she remembered that she had felt nothing, just as she did now. Nathaniel pulled away.

"I'm..I'm sorry.." he said

"It's alright."

"I...I want you to know that my offer still stands, because I still love you."

Calliope was so tired, she did not know if she could handle this after all that had just happened a few hours ago.

"Nate," she said, standing up, "I can't accept your proposal. I can't marry you. I love you; I do, but not the way that you are hoping."

She stood facing the window, rain falling down it.

"I don't understand." he said

Her heart broke at the sound of sadness in his voice.

"You... You deserve someone who loves you back, someone who wants to be with you. I won't be that for you. I cannot love you because my heart belongs to someone else. It's not fair to you." she said

There was silence for a moment in which she closed her eyes and prayed for sleep, prayed for this second to be over so she could sleep.

"It's Winchester isn't it?" she heard him ask

She turned towards him, his eyes settled on the fire.

"Yes." she whispered, "I love him, I have for years. That is why I cannot marry you, I will never stop loving him and you deserve someone who will never stop loving you."

He was silent again, pinching the spot between his eyes.

"Does he know?" he asked, "Does he know you're in love with him?"

She moved and sat next to him.

"No. I haven't told him." she said

"Why?" he asked, looking at her

"You're angry." she muttered

"I'm not. Lord, Calliope, how could I be angry with you? I...I understand. I would not dream of trapping you into something you wouldn't want, if you're in love with Dean...I wouldn't dream of taking that from you." he whispered

She looked at him and began to cry, it was all too much for one day.

"Shh." he said, taking her in his arms

"I'm sorry." she cried

"No, you can't choose who you love, Callie. I will always love you, regardless if you love me or not. And you will always be my friend." he whispered as she fell asleep again


	22. Chapter 22

alliope woke up once again, but this time she found herself in a bed. Light streamed through the window, morning had finally graced them. She thought about sitting up but then the events of the night before came flooding back and she was a complete wreck in a matter of seconds. She buried her face in the pillow and sobbed, reducing the cotton stuffed piece of cloth to a sopping wet mess.

She heard a knock at the door and she waited for the person to leave, but they didn't.

"Callie, are you awake?" she heard Nathaniel ask through the door

"Mhhmmph." she mumbled into her pillow

He cracked the door open and peeked in, seeing Calliope face down on the bed and heard her softly crying. He walked in and shut the door behind him, sitting next to her on the bed gently patting her back.

"How are you feeling?" he asked

Calliope rolled over so that she was lying on her back. She wiped her eyes and looked at the doctor.

"Tired." she answered

"I suppose we are all tired."

There was silence for a moment.

"Joshua says that the town and surrounding areas have been decimated, everything is in shambles. There's a list of missing people that is posted in the market square, there's at least two dozen names."

Calliope thought about all the people she knew; were they alright? Were their homes untouched or were they steaming piles of rubble? Harriet, Selina, her boss; were they all safe?

"Dean is downstairs." Nathaniel said, standing up, "I think he's waiting for you."

"Will you tell him I will be down in a minute?" she asked

Nathaniel nodded his head; a sad, distant look in his eyes. Last night she had refused his proposal and told him she was in love with Dean. A heavy blow, to be sure

"You're...you're going to tell him, right? You're going to tell him how you feel?" he asked Calliope

"I don't think I can." she responded

"He would be insane not to reciprocate your feelings."

Nathaniel made his way towards the door, hand ready to turn the knob when he stopped.

"Why him?" he asked, standing with his back to her

"Why me?" she asked back

He stood there a moment, not moving, taking in her question.

"Because," he sighed "The heart does not ask you for your permission on whom it can choose for you to love. I am not its Captain, it is mine and I cannot change its course."

"I do believe you have just answered your own question." she whispered

He lunged forward and opened the door, leaving without another word.

Calliope rolled her face back into her pillow which was still damp from her earlier lamentation. Life seemed to have her in a chokehold, crushing her windpipe, making it impossible for her to breathe a word of want; she was defenseless against its tools and devices.

She sat up, clad in only her undergarments, her boots and clothes resting up against the wall. She slipped them on, laced her boots up and made her way downstairs. As she stepped of the last step and turned the corner, she found herself in the room with many people on cots.

Some were asleep, but a select few were being taken care of by Joshua and Nathaniel. The Doctor was wrapping a young woman's arm when he saw Calliope enter. He gave her a small smile and pointed to the corner of the room where Dean was leaning against the wall, arms folded across his chest and looking rather uncomfortable.

"Good morning. How are you feeling?" he asked as she walked up to him

"I'm still trying to figure it out." she replied

"Did you sleep well?"

"Not at all."

"Yeah, me neither."

They both watched in fascination as Joshua and Nathaniel walked around to each patient; changing bandages, relieving pain and feeling foreheads. Dean stood stiff next to Calliope, his eyes narrow as he surveyed the room.

"Dammit, all of this for a map. A freaking map. And a girl...a girl who's dead." Dean muttered

"He loved her. I imagine any man would put up a fight for the girl he loved. Not that I'm saying what he did last night was right." she whispered

Dean glared at her and leaned in, their faces inches from each other.

"He never loved her like I did, had he, he wouldn't have shot her in the first place." he hissed

Calliope was wide eyed and gasped at his harsh tone.

"I'm sorry." she mumbled

He sighed, looking away.

"Nah. I am, I didn't mean to snap at you.."

She nodded her head.

"I'm just a bit...on edge is all. I shouldn't take it out on you, after all you've been through." he whispered, leaning in again

She swallowed, his closeness making her nervous.

"You're such a fragile little thing, I'm surprised you're not broken." he said, searching her eyes

She felt tears start to roll down her cheeks, Dean's eyes following them.

"But I am broken." she whispered

Their staring was interrupted by Joshua dropping a bed pan, causing Calliope to jump a bit.

"Sorry." he said, bending down to pick it up

"Butterfingers." Dean mumbled, taking her hand and leading her into the next room and sitting in the couch

"So, what's your plan?"

"My plan?"

" I have got to get back to Bobby and Sam so what are you gonna do?"

Calliope hadn't thought about what was next, she had only been focused on what was happening in the now. If you called crying every second being focused...

"I've no idea; I suppose I should find my friends, people I know, make sure they are alright."

Dean nodded, his eyes on the young woman who had had her arm wrapped earlier. She couldn't be more than eighteen, and Joshua seemed to flutter around her a bit too much, making sure everything was ok for the blonde beauty.

"Looks as if the boy has found a friend." Dean said quietly, chuckling

Calliope nodded and watched as Joshua gingerly held put a cup up to the girls lips, a hand on the back of her head to help her drink. The girl smiled shyly at Joshua afterwards, her face flushed. She reminded Calliope of herself four years earlier, she imagined that is what she had looked like around Dean.

"She likes him." he murmured out of the corner of his mouth to her, that lovely smirk on his face

"Yes, but how can you know if he feels the same?" she asked

"I can read a face like a book. Look at the boy's eyes, darting back and forth between her eyes and lips. Body language, he wants to kiss her." he whispered, pointing

She remembered how years ago he had told her that he knew the look of desire on a face, and he had been correct in guessing Nathaniel's feelings. It seemed Dean had quite a gift for reading thoughts were interrupted when Joshua's mother handed them each a plate of food, telling them both to eat up.

Dean seemed to be starving because his plate was empty within a matter of minutes, but Calliope just picked at hers, barely touching it.

"Eat. You look sickly."

"I'm not hungry." she replied, pushing the plate aside

"Dean is right, Calliope, you do not look well." Nathaniel said, sitting beside her

"I'm alright."

Dean and Nathaniel gave each other knowing looks before Nathaniel took her hand in his.

"Please eat, I'm saying this as your friend and a Doctor, you need it."

Calliope finally relented, eating only a quarter of the food, but it was all they could push her to do.

Dean stood up and announced that he would be leaving.

"And you?" Nathaniel asked her

"I'm going into town with him, to see him off." she replied, standing up as well

"Well, be careful, the streets are literally crawling with demons today. You best keep out of sight."

"Will do, doc." Dean said, shaking Nathaniel's hand

"You're a lucky man, Winchester. I would give anything to have what you do."

Dean looked confused but just nodded his head.

"Right, thanks man." he said with an eyebrow cocked

Nathaniel turned to Calliope, taking her hands in his.

"Be careful, you can come back after you've seen him off." He said.

"Thanks for letting me stay the night." Dean said, bowing his head before stepping out the door

"Why it is that Dean is lucky?" Calliope asked before walking out

"Because he has your love."

Dean and Calliope kept mainly to alleyways and back roads to decrease the chance of running into anyone, but when they came close to where Calliope's house was, she slipped out into the open.

"What are you doing?" Dean hissed, his arms in the air

"I have to see it, Dean."

"There's not gonna be anything to see."

He was right. She advanced upon the rubble standing in what used to be her room, the back half of the house was standing, but barely. The rain the night before had mostly crushed the flame, leaving the pile still smoking a bit. She put a hand over her mouth, silencing a cry. Remnants were everywhere; the couch was half charred and her bed a pile of wood. She could hear Dean behind her, trying to step on areas where there wasn't a smoking piece of her home.

"I told you." he said

"I had to see it for myself."

Dean bent down and picked something up, patting it off on his pant leg. It looked to be a book. Dean flipped through the last remaining pages and laughed.

"Persuasion." he said, throwing it back on the ground

Calliope was being blinded by reflected light. She looked down and saw something metal peeking out from under the ashes. Upon picking it up, she discovered it to be her necklace that Dean had left her. She sighed and held it up to her chest.

"Shit." he heard Dean say as if he dropped something

She turned around and saw three demons walking straight for them


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: I want to thank you all for supporting me! I had no idea that I would recieve all of the feedback I did! I thought about quitting this story a while ago, but after I saw the response to it, I decided to keep it going. And going it shall. **

**SHOUTOUT TO MY LOVELY NEW REVIEWER: ****_Blueskia_**

**She is great and always gives the sweetest feedback! Thanks so much! **

"Dean Winchester."

Dean grimaced and turned to face the men whose eyes were black.

"Ah! Members of The Devil's army! To what do I owe this pleasure?" he asked, his hands gestating

"Dean Winchester, you are going to die for your aide in the attack against the town of Folkestone." one officer said, moving to shackle Dean

"Alexander!" Calliope said, walking up to him

"Ah, Miss McKenna. I do hope that this filthy vagrant has not put his hands on you. You are quite safe now." he said

"No! He has not. And you cannot kill this man, he played no part in the events of last night!" she said

"Listen to the girl." Dean said as the demon tightened the irons around his wrists

"How do you have knowledge of this?" Alexander asked

"Because he was with me the entire night." she said, instantly regretting it

The officers looked at one another before Alexander stood before Calliope, peering down at her.

"It seems Miss McKenna has been keeping good company with hunters." he said "An act, which in Folkestone, is punishable by death."

Alexander grabbed her wrist and forced her next to Dean, pinning her arms behind her back as she yelped, and bound her wrists with irons all while Dean disapproved.

" Let her go, she hasn't done anything wrong! I wasn't with her last night, she's crazy." he said, trying to shrug off the officers

"Do not play me for a fool, Mr. Winchester. I have several sources that claim Miss McKenna was seen leaving town with you last night and by her own will by the sound of things. We are not afraid to shoot a woman here, Winchester. She will not be the first or last who's pretty neck shall be tied with a noose." he spat, inches from Dean's face

Calliopelooked to Dean in pure terror. Dean stepped closer to Alexander, his jaw set and eyes narrow.

"Listen, you either unchain her now, or I'll unchain her and you can be digging salt bullets out of your flesh for the next week, your choice."

Alexander only rolled his black eyes. "We're not going to kill her now of course. That's for later."

"Phillips, Shannon; bring them in." he said

Calliopewas being pushed from behind, a hand held tightly onto her shoulder, leading the way. The irons rubbed up against the delicate skin on the insides of her wrists, causing them to become raw. She stumbled down the road, her eyes downcast. This was her fault; she should have listened to Dean and stayed to the alleyways. She had doomed them both.

Perhaps this was for the best, her dying. She had lost everything, hurt everyone. Her mother and father were gone, her home with them. She had broken one man's heart and had bought another his death sentence. She had nothing left. She felt a sudden relief as she was being led to the jail. Death would bring her an end to all the hell life had decided to throw her way. She wouldn't have to worry about putting her mess of a life together.

"I'll get us out of this." Dean muttered beside her, earning him a whack upside the head from Phillips for talking, despite his small stature, it sounded to have hurt.

"Shut up, Winchester." he said

"Yes, Mother." he replied, earning himself another smack

"Quit doing that!"

Another smack.

"Then quit talking!"

Calliopecould see the jail house coming up on her right, a large fortress with police men surrounding it; around the perimeter on the ground and on the lookout posts.

"You alright?" Dean asked

Phillips made a swing for his head, but Dean moved it just in time, beaming from ear to ear. Phillips only waited until Dean's head was back into position. If Shannon continued to hold onto her as he did, she was going to have a nasty bruise.

"You're hurting me." she whispered, ready for a whack upside the head

"Oh, sorry Miss. I didn't realize." Shannon said, loosening his grip, surprising her

"Thank you."

Upon entering the gate of the fortress, the men saluted each other and many men pointed at Dean and began to whisper or congratulate Alexander on his great catch. Calliope noticed that all of their eyes were pitch black. Souless.

They were led downstairs to the jailhouse, Dean's manacles were taken off, his effects stripped from him and he was thrown into a cell. The same for Evangeline, only she was allowed to walk into her cell instead of being tossed.

"Now," Alexander said, "Do not even think of performing one of your infamous escape plans, Winchester. There is no leaving this fortress, the only way out, is the way to the gallows. As for you, my dear, I do so wish you had not thrown in your lot with this man. You may have ended up marrying that Doctor friend of yours. Such a travesty. You both are due to die just after sunrise tomorrow morning."

Alexander and the two other officers left, leaving Dean and Calliopealone in their cells which faced each other. Dean sat down in the middle of his cell, cursing out loud. Calliopesat up against the cold stone wall.

"Just sit tight, I'll think of something." Dean sat, taking his jacket off and setting it beside himself

"These past three days have been the worst of my life." she said, quietly, "First Father falls ill, then burns to death on his own accord. I get arrested, I break my friend's heart, I die and you show up."

Dean was silent, not sure what to say.

"I'll take that last bit as a compliment." he said, standing up and pacing

"Why bother, Dean?" she asked

She heard Dean grumble and then felt something hit the side of her face.

"Ow! Did you just hit me? With a rock?" she asked, picking up the object that he threw

"Shut it. One, I can't think with you yapping, and two I won't listen to you talk like that. Have a little faith in me, as you can see, I haven't died yet...well, except that one time." he said, continuing to pace

Dean kept pacing as the day wore on. Surely Nathaniel was worried by now and had begun the search for her.

She examined her wrists; they had been rubbed raw from the irons.

"My wrists are bleeding."

"That happens the first few times, doesn't bother me anymore, hasn't for years."

"Any ideas?" she asked

"Hush."

Calliopewas thankful she had thought to wear her jacket; the cells began to get cold as the day rolled into evening. She passed the time looking at the necklace, putting it around her neck and twirling it round like Dean used to. After a while, Dean finally sat down, worn out. She looked across the way at him, his head resting against the stone wall, his arms folded across his chest, his head dipped low in front of his knees. He was humming some sort of tune, his voice low and gravelly.

Lord she loved him. All of him. His mannerisms, his voice, his hands, lips, nose, jaw, laugh. She loved his smile, his smirk, his ability to be so emotionally deep one minute and silly odd the next. She loved the way he used his hands while talking, the way slept on his left side, never the right. The way he cocked an eyebrow when questioning something. Her favorite part, which she especially loved were his eyes. Light green, so full of experience and wisdom, alight with adventure, freedom, seduction. She loved him and they were dying tomorrow, if ever a chance had arose to let her feelings known, it was now. She had always told herself she could never do it, though.

But if he laughed, he laughed. If he didn't love her, he didn't love her. And she would get past the hurt when the noose took hold of her in the morning. Better than a lifetime of hurt after rejection. Dean was still humming, letting her know he was still awake. She cleared her throat, took a deep breath and tried to gain back control of her fast paced heart, which had gotten her into this mess.

"Dean?" she asked

"Hmm?"

"Can..I tell you something?"

Dean lifted his head so that his eyes met hers.

"Confession time, is it? I gotta tell you, if we are doing that, you are gonna be here for ages. Haven't been in a church since I impersonated that preacher back in 2003." he said, a smirk on his face

Calliopelaughed nervously.

"No, I just...I have something rather important I'd like to tell you." she said, not looking him directly in the eyes

"Well, shoot."

She took a deep breath and told herself to let go. She scooted closer to the cell bars and grabbed hold of them.

"Dean...I'm in l..."

"Shh!" he said, as the sound of boots came echoing towards them.

She stopped, nearly screaming out of frustration. Of all the moments to be hushed.

"Someone's coming. Just lie down and pretend you're asleep." he said

"Asleep?"

"You're asleep! Go!" he growled

She obeyed, flattening herself onto stone cold, dirt covered floor and closed her eyes. The sound of heavy boots stopped in front of their cells and Calliopeopened her eyes just enough to see the souls of said boots.

"Winchester, here's your food." The owner of the boots said, the voice belonged to Phillips.

"Thanks very much." Dean muttered as the sound of a plate hitting the floor hit her ears.

"Is the lady asleep?" Phillips asked, jingling his keys around

"That, or dead. I'm not sure."

"Well, she gets food too."

She heard her plate being slid under the cell.

"Phillips. Come here a sec." Dean said, standing up, his arms hanging outside the bars

"What do you want?"

Calliopeopened her eyes again, looking through her tangle of curls.

"Let me ask you something." Dean said, motioning for him to come closer

"What?"

"What size do you wear?"

"Hu?"

Dean grabbed hold of Phillips's collar and smacked his face forcefully against the bars. Calliopelet out a gasp, he let go and the demon slumped to the ground, unconscious.

"I'd reckon you're a five, or six." Dean said

He leaned down, and reached out, grabbing the keys from the officer's hand.

"Thanks, I really needed these. Callie, you can wake up now."

Calliopestood up, pushing her curls away from her face.

"Is he alright?" she asked

"Just knocked out. He'll wake up with one hell of a headache." he said, trying to fit the key into the hole.

After a minute or two he matched them up, turned the key, and swung the cell door open. He rushed to her cell and did the same.

"Thanks."

"Yeah. So what did you have to tell me?" he asked, leaning on his haunches and examining Phillips.

"Oh! Oh, um... You know, I forgot." she said, squatting down next to him

"Alright then. Anyway, what size are you?" he asked

"Um...a five. Why?"

"Hmm, really? You have the body to be a six at least. Great curves, darling." he said, as he began to strip Phillips of his clothes

Calliopefelt her entire face blush. He thought she had curves? More importantly, he had been looking to notice said curves?

"And I know what you're thinking. Yes, you have curves. Yes, I was looking. I'm a man, it's what I do. And yes, your breasts are a bit on the smaller side, but they are great." he said, looking at them

She looked at him with utter disbelief, and then looked down at her breasts.

"Really, really great." he muttered before looking away, continuing to take off the officers uniform

"Inappropriate comments aside, what are you doing?" she asked, quietly

"How is me commenting on your body inappropriate? All women are beautiful, all deserve to know it. End of the speech about your lovely body. I am removing his clothes because you're gonna wear 'em."

"What?"

"This guy is tiny, luv. You slip into his police outfit, braid your hair backput a cap on and hide your face; no one will know the difference. You're gonna escort me out. Now, clothes off." he ordered

"Well, just...don't turn around." she whispered, shaking her jacket off

"I won't. Here." he said, throwing the uniform to her.

She unlaced her boots, Dean watching her, impatiently.

"Alright, don't look." she said

He threw his hands up in the air and turned around.

She quickly unbuttoned her nightgown and let it fall off. Her hands were shaking as she pulled the britches up, put the belt on and pulled the shirt over her head.

"You can look now." she muttered

He turned to inspect her as she continued to piece together the uniform.

"It's a bit of a loose fit in the britches, but it's not too noticeable. Now come here. Bring the boots." he said

She sat down and slipped her boots on, lacing up. She suddenly felt Dean behind her. She turned and looked to see him sitting directly behind her, so close she could feel heat radiating from him.

"Hold still." he said before running his fingers through her tousled curls, beginning to braid them back.

She stiffened at his touch, his hands gliding through her hair. She closed her eyes and ceased to breathe.

"How do you.."

"It's a skill I'm not particularly proud of. I learned it from a Brazilian woman who I had a thing with once. She had a hair fetish, made me braid it all the time. Lovely woman."

"Really?" she asked, stifling a laugh

"Yeah." he said, coming down to the end of the braid.

Calliopesighed, mostly because Dean was touching her.

"Your brother? How is he?" she asked as Dean grabbed his effects

"Sam. Just like me, I guess although definetly not as handsome," he said, winking, and putting the officer's hat on top of her head

"Grab those irons, clap 'em on me, grab the key, hide this down your shirt, and let's leave."

They looked at Phillips who was still out cold, wearing his underwear and boots, and locked him in a cell.

"Why am I escorting you?" she asked, holding into his arm and leading him up the stairs

"My hanging has been moved to tonight due to popular demand." he said

"I'm nervous. They'll know."

"Hush. You're a demon, now act like one." Dean said


	24. Chapter 24

Calliope led Dean; she held his pistol with the pentagram cut engraved on it to his back as he walked. When they emerged from the jails, they were lost in a sea of Satan's army. Dean kept an eye out and Calliope kept her head down, which lead to her bumping into a large man.

"Oh, amen, sorry." she said in her best manly voice

"Where are you taking Winchester, sir?" the man asked, eyeing them suspiciously

"Um, Mr. Winchester's hanging has been switched to tonight, sir. All the town folk want to see this blackguard hang for his misdeeds. He's a very popular...erm...outlaw, sir."

"What's your name, sir?"

"Oh, um, it's Le…Bennet, sir. Bennet." she said, clearing her throat

"Alright, Bennet, why wasn't I informed of this switch in the plan?" the man asked, his arms folded over his chest

She quickly looked to Dean who seemed to be formulating a plan B in his mind.

"Well, you see sir, I...perhaps if you ask Alexander..I mean...um.."

"Alexander Rawlings?"

"Mmhmm! Commodore Rawlings, I'm sure Rawlings will tell you." she said, becoming so nervous that she pushed the barrel of the gun deeper into Dean's back, causing him to yelp

"We don't currently have a Rawlings stationed here, Mr. Bennet." The man said

"Oh shit." she heard Dean mumble

"Winchester has escaped! Winchester and the girl have escaped! Close the gates!" Someone called out

The man lunged for Dean who side stepped and averted being caught.

"Callie! The key!" he yelped.

They were coming towards her from all directions, pistols pointed and eyes black as night.

"Callie!" he yelled

Her shaking hands rummaged seep in her pockets, trying to locate the key. Whose brilliant idea was it to actually lock the things? She felt the small piece of metal and clutched it in her hand, racing towards Dean.

"Key?" he screeched, head butting an officer in the face

She ran up behind him and stuck the key in the hole, but before she could turn it, she was grabbed from behind. She was pulled away, screaming.

"Let me go!"

She began kicking her legs until she heard the demon groan and double over, his hand over his package. She ran towards Dean again, who was fighting three demons with his hands behind his back.

"The key, Callie!" he growled, she ran up and turned it, freeing one of his hands just as someone came toward him. He swung the fist still containing the irons and the metal swiped the man across the face. He cried out in pain as the place where iron shackles hit began to burn and smoke.

"Hmm, handy!" Dean said, grabbing Calliope and running behind a wall that was nearby

"Pistol?" he asked, unlocking his other wrist

She shook her head

"I dropped it."

He rolled his eyes, pushed her against the wall and grabbed hold of her jacket.

"What are you doing?" she yelled

Dean ripped the jacket off and discarded it. He then wrapped his arms around her middle and loosened the belt she was wearing around her waist.

"I need this." he said

He grabbed his pistol that he had belted to her body, loaded it, (did she just see salt leak out of one of the bullets?!), and ran around to the other side. Not two seconds later he ran back to where she was.

"Sorry about the jacket!" he said, fighting off a couple men

"And you dropped my pistol? That was my best gun, Callie! Duck!" he yelled, as she obeyed and he blocked a blow meant for her

"What do I do? I've nothing to fight with!" she cried hiding behind him

"Find a gun! Preferably a salt loaded one! Preferably mine!" he said, the sound of clanking swords drowning out some of his words

"But I don't know how to use one!"

"You cock, point and shoot! Cock, point and shoot!" he yelled, pushing her out of the way as he was attacked from behind

Calliope began to wildly search for a weapon, preferably a gun. When she tripped over a fallen demon, she scrambled off the ground and rolled him over; grabbing the pistol he was laying on top of.

She stood up trying how to figure out how to "cock" the gun. What did that even mean? She was turning it over in her hands when she knocked off her feet, a gun head pointed at her neck. She looked up, blocked the sun from her eyes and found she was staring at Alexander. She looked for Dean, but could not see him. Even if she could, he would have been way to busy fighting off an army.

"Stand up." Alexander said, using the tip of his rifle to tap her under the chin

She put her shaking hands up, slowly rising. Her eyes searching for the pistol. There! About a foot from Alexander's feet. He kept his sword concentrated on her throat, shaking his head.

"Such a mistake you have made, Miss McKenna. How foolish of you to think you could escape; no, this will not do." he said, circling her with one had behind his back, his eyes looking more demonic than ever.

"Alexander, please, we're friends." she whispered following him with her eyes

"No, my dear! You are mistaken yet again! I do not befriend traitors, my dear girl." he replied, moving in closer to her

She shuddered as he looked her in the eyes, the tip of his gun puncturing skin, causing a small trickle of blood to run down her neck. She looked at the gun again, quickly so that he did not see her. And suddenly she saw Dean, running. More specifically, running away. And if you wanted the details, he was running away from a pack of demons. And he may have been screaming. He was most certainly busy at the moment.

"If I surrender..?" she asked

"You shall be pardoned from death, although you shall still be tried to the fullest extent of the law. Perhaps a life in jail or banishment."

"And Dean?"

"He will hang. He will. I've been chasing him for four years and I finally have him in my grasp. And you will not take that from me." he said, smirking

Seconds later Alexander was pushed to the ground by Dean who had not seen him. He fell with an "oof" and Dean looked back.

"Excuse me!" he yelled

Calliope saw her chance and ran for the pistol only to be tripped by Alexander as he grabbed her by the ankle. She reached as far as she could, stretching her fingers out. She could feel it with the tips of her fingers as Alexander stood up. And then the gun was kicked closer to her as someone ran by. She grabbed it, turned on her back, pointed it at Alexander and pulled the trigger.

He laughed as nothing happened and reached for her throat. She felt his hands crushing her windpipe, life was choking her once again, this time in the form of a power hungry demon. She saw the rage in his eyes as he continued to hold onto her, his eyes rolling crazily. She clawed at his fingers as things began to turn black. She saw his lips moving but was not aware of what he was saying.

And the she saw Dean, his pistol in hand, shooting Alexander, orange sparks flying everywhere. And then the demon..or what used to be a demon..was on top of her, out cold. She took deep shaky breaths as Dean took her hand and helped her up.

"You alright?" he asked, handing her the pistol she had found

"You forgot to load it." he said as she took it, still relishing the sweet air entering her lungs.

"Duck!" he said, as she did and a man was socked in the face with Dean's bare hand

"Oh that hurt!" he grumbled, "We need to go!"

He grabbed her hand and they made a run for it. The gate had been closed, so their only way out was over the wall. They took the stairs leading to the lookout posts, demons came at them, but Dean just started pushing them off the stairs, he didn't even bother pointing his gun.

Once they reached the lookout tower, they were trapped from all sides. Dean looked over the side, they were maybe twenty feet from the ground, and they wouldn't be able to make the jump without hurting something. Or dying.

"You're trapped, Winchester!" Someone said

Dean looked over at Calliope and winked. He was about to put on a show, complete with hand gestures.

"My dear demons, it appears that you are all correct. You all have fought so valiantly, and to your fallen comrades, I am sorry for their untimely demises! Such young warriors, fighting for the devil." he said, patting a guy on the back whose face was twisted with confusion

"I suppose all that's left is for us to surrender...but truthfully, that isn't going to happen. So instead, I will do this in place of a surrender." he started, taking Calliope's hand

He turned and leaped over the side with Calliope who was not too excited about what had just happened. They fell into the bushes but Dean rolled down the grass and quickly got up, dodging bullets.

"Callie!" he hissed, searching the bushes

He found her tangled in them a few feet away.

"Got to go!" Dean said, taking her hand and running

"Got to find my car." he said, under his breath as they ran for the hills

"Where are we going?" She asked as she ran alongside him with a slight limp. She had hurt something from falling.

"The caves."

They heard the demons behind them, bullets whizzing past their ears and nearly missing them. They ran past the hills until they came to the bay, resting and panting for breath.

"There's a boat in there." Dean said, his hands resting on his thighs as he sucked in large amounts of air.

"Where...is the...Impala?" Calliope asked

Dean was going to answer when they heard the men again, coming around the bend of hills. He ran into the water and hopped up onto the rocks leading into the caves. He turned and motioned for her to follow. Lucky she was not wearing anything too heavy, it would have been infinitely more difficult.

Calliope followed suit, scrambling up the rocks as he had. The men were closer, almost to the bay. Dean grabbed her hand and pulled her into the cave. There, as he said, floated a boat containing two ores.

"Get in." he ordered

She obeyed and hopped into the boat as Dean pushed it away from the rocks and then hopped in himself. He took the ores and began to row out of the cave. Once at the mouth she could see the demons splashing into the bay, pointing at them in the longboat. The raised their pistols and began firing.

"Get down!" he yelled, as Calliope flattened herself against the bottom of the boat. Dean continued to row into open waters and they were passing the last of the hills when he was hit in the upper arm, exclaiming and dropping one of the ores.

"Son of a bitch." he muttered, putting his hand over the wound which was oozing blood

"Are you alright?" she cried, reaching for him

"Stay down!" he replied ducking his head.

"We're trapped."

"Nah, they have no way of getting to us right now. Besides, the Impala is parked just round that last hill. I hope." he said

"Now, do you think you can reach out and grab that ore?" he asked, pointing to the water

She peeked over the edge and saw the ore floating a few feet from them. She took a deep breath, stretched her arms out into the water and grabbed it before she was shot or the boat tipped over.

"Good! Now, you row with one and I'll row with the other."

They tried to row straight, for the first couple tries they were rowing in circles. Dean looked behind him and saw that the demons had located a boat of their own and they were filing into it.

"Son of a bitch!" he growled, "Callie, turn around and push the water behind you on your right side, I'll do my left."

She obeyed and they pushed themselves forward, passing the last hill. He closed his eyes and prayed to whatever higher power there happened to be that Bobby had followed his orders given the night before to not move the Impala. He looked back again and saw that the demons were passing the cave.

Dean growled for Callie to row faster and after a few more good pushes, they rounded the hill, the black Impala filling their eyes. Dean smiled and stood up, waving his good arm.

"Over here!" he screeched, "Bobby!"

Bobby looked in the rear view mirror, his eyes wide.

"Dean!" he called, Sam looking in the side mirror at his older brother and the girl with him.

"Open the door, and hurry!"

Bobby reached in the back, scrambled for the door handle, and quickly pushed the back door open as Dean and Callie rowed up beside the bank. He looked back again and didn't see the demons.

"You go first." he said to Calliope

She nodded and stood up, wobbling a bit as she landed in the grass. She started to run, not looking back, her leg throbbing as she did. Bobby watched cautiously until Calliope was safely in the leather backseat of the 1967 Impala.

She sat there as they looked in the mirrors again watching as Dean ran over to the car holding his arm. Then they began pulling out their salt guns and shooting out towards the water. She stood up and looked over the side where she saw the demons in their boat, some falling over into the water as they had been hit.

"Drive, Bobby, Drive!" Dean barked.

Calliope was beginning to think that Dean was the leader here.

"No, I'm fine Bobby, just get us out of here." Dean said, as he moved towards Calliope

"You alright?" he asked, still clutching his wound

She was aware that she had hurt her leg but she hadn't seen it yet, she sat down and rolled the pant-leg up to reveal a large bruise on her lower thigh, already purple and swollen.

Dean grimaced and said Sam would bandage it up when they got to a motel a few towns over. Calliope felt a pang in her heart at the thought of healing, for it reminded her of Nathaniel. He would be so worried and frantic. She didn't even get a chance to say goodbye.


	25. Chapter 25

Sam was a good nurse, Calliope soon found out. Dean sat beside her while being tended to, his wound was more important.

"Good job back there." he said, wincing as his brother dug the bullet out of his arm

"Thank you. And thank you for saving me, Alexander would have killed me for sure." she said quietly, her fingers feeling her sore neck where hand shaped bruises began to surface.

Dean yelped and pulled his arm back, giving Sam a nasty look.

"Easy." he said before allowing him to touch his arm again

"Nathaniel must be so worried." she whispered, playing with the necklace around her neck

"Write to him." Dean said, nonchalantly

"But how is he to know to check for a letter?"

Jack stopped and thought about it for a moment.

"Have it delivered straight to him. I can arrange that."

"Really?"

He nodded as his upper arm was being bandaged.

"Oh, thank you, Dean!" she said

"Don't mention it." he mumbled

Sam announced that he was through with Jack, who nodded and went to sit in an old moth-eaten recliner in the corner of the motel room.

"Now, let's have a look at your leg." Sam said

Sam lifted her pant-leg and revealed the nasty looking bruise. He nodded and turned around, grabbing a few things

"How did this happen?" he asked

"I fell from high up; I must have hit it pretty hard."

He opened a jar and took a glob of cream from it. It was thick and white and smelled of pine needles.

"I'm going to put this topical cream over it and then bandage it, that's about all I can do." he said, beginning to apply it

Calliope took a sharp intake of breath as he touched the bruise. He tried to be gentle but some pain could not be avoided. She grit her teeth until he was done and she looked down to see the once purple surface covered in white. He began to wrap it up carefully and finished.

"Wait here." he said to her

She patiently waited as Sam left, looking around the room where she was seated on top of a table. It was fairly small, holes in the carpet, three beds in the corner. She was suddenly aware of how exhausted she was, her eyes became heavy and she struggled to keep them open. She was startled when she heard boots coming towards her.

"Hey." Bobby said.

"Hello." she replied sleepily

"Dean said you can have one of the beds and he'll take the couch. Says you might be wanting of some sleep."

Evangeline nodded her head, thankfully as she helped herself off the table and limped behind Bobby.

"Who are you exactly?" she asked him, as she thought about what she was going to wear to bed.

"Bobby Singer. Hunter." he mumbled

"I'm Calliope." she said as they passed hammocks where the crew slept.

Bobby watched as the girl thought, her hands on her hips surveying the room.

"You can sleep here for right now until Dean comes back and then we have to keep moving." Bobby said, "He and Sam are mighty busy at the moment."

Calliope nodded, as she stumbled into the area and fell onto the bed, deciding that pajamas didn't really matter. But she didn't mind at all because she was asleep before she even touched the bed.

She was dreaming that she was on fire, caught in her house as the walls burned down around her. She heard her name being called but could not focus on whose voice it was because of the searing pain that was flowing through her veins. She tried take off her clothes so that the flames would not get to her skin, but her shirt was all but ash and her pants were melted to her thighs and she could not take them off without tearing off the skin as well.

She could hear the voice getting louder and closer, calling her name. She opened her mouth to call back but smoke filled her lungs and a fire started in her soul as she began to burn alive. Then the owner of the voice appeared, no flames were on the being, for she shone brightly and repelled them. Her mother looked down at her on the ground with a smile on her face. She held out her hand and Evangeline took it, her mother's glowing aura transforming her.

She was being healed by whatever power she possessed, but then they heard a cracking sound and looked up as the roof of the house caved in on top of them and distinguished her mother's light, and in turn killing them both.

"Callie."

She sat upright, breathing heavily and possibly covered in sweat as Dean loomed over her, merely a shadow in the pale moonlight that seeped through the dingy window curtains.

"Bad dream?" he asked

She nodded, calming herself down, wiping the damp hair from her face. Dean took a seat in a chair that he had scooted close to her bed, crossing his legs in an anti-lady like fashion. Calliope heard the sound of snoring and saw that Sam and Bobby were both fast asleep.

"How's your leg?" he asked, his arms folded across his chest

She looked down at her bandaged leg.

"Well it doesn't hurt unless I walk on it or touch it, so I guess it's not any better than it was. What about your arm?" she asked, her voice a bit raspy from being choked earlier.

He fingered the bandages through his shirt and grimaced.

"It's going to be sore, but I'll be alright. Now, I came here to tell you that we are headed for Nebraska for supplies. It should be a few days drive. From there I'm not sure."

"Any sign of Boone?" she asked, lying back down

"Not yet, but we are sure he isn't far behind. I figure he will just follow us and make his move. But you can never be too sure, so we're keeping a lookout. That's why I'm up."

It was quiet for a moment, as Dean tipped back on the chair, lost in thought. Calliope let her fingers glide across the bruises on her neck, the moon casting shadows as the curtains blew back and forth. Dean opened his eyes and caught a glimpse of her neck.

"Hell, I can see his hand marks." he said, leaning the chair down and lowering himself to her.

"What a.." he said, muttering the last part as he stood up

"I'll be right back." he said

He returned with the little jar that Sam had earlier containing the salve. He sat down beside her, cross-legged, and pushes her messy braid out of the way, moving strands that had fallen loose.

"This will hurt a bit." he said as he opened the jar and spread some on his fingertips.

The stuff was cold at first but it warmed up with Dean's hands. He gently spread the pine based salve across the back of her neck, being careful not to press too hard. She would yelp every once in a while and Dean would mutter a distracted "sorry".

Once he had put a nice layer on the back of her neck, he turned her so that they were facing each other. He wiped his fingers off on his pants and then brought them to the collar of her shirt, unbuttoning the first few buttons. Calliope's breath caught in her throat as his fingertips skimmed across her collarbone as he pushed the fabric away from her neck, but he didn't seem to notice.

He then took her chin and carefully lifted it upward so that he could see her neck better. She looked at him as he rubbed it across her throat, the smell of pine wafting into her nostrils.

"Almost done." he whispered, as he softly blew on the cream to dry it, his warm breath sending chills all throughout her body.

His lips were so close to her throat she thought he might plant a gentle kiss there, but he brought his head up and she lowered her chin.

"There, that should help...something" he said, as he put the jar back on the lid.

"Thank you." she said, her voice almost gone

He gave that smirk and smiled back as he grabbed the jar and lantern and stood up.

"Get some more sleep, Callie. You need it." he said before settling back in his lookout from the window.

"Goodnight." he said.

"Goodnight."

Dean shut the curtains completely and left her in darkness as she lied back down, the cream on her neck causing a cool sensation. She closed her eyes and prayed she had a dreamless sleep.

When she awoke again, it was still pitch black in their little room. She sat up and wondered where she was for a moment. She distinctly remembered Dean, his lips hovering over her throat for...for what? She let her fingers slide across her throat and she felt the remnants of the cream. Her bruises, he was tending to her bruises.

She slowly stood up, remembering her injured thigh. She then felt for the crusty floor with her feet.

She hobbled out of her bed and crept past the beds where Sam and Bobby were sleeping, opened the door, and emerged out onto the parking lot. It was very early morning, but morning nonetheless. There was still a tint of black among the sky as the sun rose, it seemed, from out of the ocean. They were still on the coast.

She leaned against the handicapped railing to relieve her leg and she finally beheld the beauty where she lived.

The wind whipped her hair around, allowing several more strands of hair to fall in her face. She completely understood why Dean loved freedom and needed to be outside. It was a lovely feeling.

"Good mornin!" she heard behind her as she twirled around

She squinted to see Dean calling from inside the hotel room; his jacket on his shoulders, his hair being tossed like the waves below her, a satisfied smirk on his face. He looked absolutely handsome.

She waved to him and made her way towards the door, being careful with her leg as she climbed the three concrete steps.

"Good morning, Dean." she said, smiling sleepily

"How you feeling?"

"Sore."

"I'd suspect so. The bruising will be there for a while, but I wouldn't worry about it." he chirped, shutting the door behind him.

"Are you the only one awake?" Callope inquired, leaning forward on the rail.

"Nah, Sam and Bobby and in the room going over the map."

Just as he stopped speaking, Bobby and Sam sprung from the room, right on cue. Sam was being followed by Bobby who was shouting something unintelligent to the younger hunter. Sam turned around and rolled his eyes.

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!" he growled

"But it's true! Dean told me himself! Didn't you, Dean?" Sam asked, looking to Dean and Calliope near the railing.

Dean lifted an eyebrow at the men.

"Didn't I what?"

"Yesterday you told me about that woman from Spain who was a witch!"

"Yeah."

"And that she forced herself on you with her dark, magical ways and that she was the best whore you ever laid!"

Dean sheepishly turned to look at Calliope who looked appalled and slightly confused.

He turned his attention towards the two gentlemen.

"I said no such thing." he said, looking awfully bored with the conversation and dismissing the accusation away with his hand

"Ha!" Bobby laughed

Sam only looked at Dean and shook his head in disgrace as Bobby rubbed it in his face.

"I did not say she forced herself on me. I said I wooed her with my good looks and charm and that her black magically powers had no effect over me. If anything, MY powers overthrew hers. She couldn't help herself." Dean said, a cocky look on his face

Bobby sighed and rolled his eyes once again as Sam let out a deep, hearty laugh. Dean looked to Calliope with a smirk and winked at her. She smiled back and tried not to think about what that night with the Spanish Witch entailed, if it was even true.

"Gentlemen!" Dean shouted over the roar of the sea.

"What?" Bobby screeched as he and Sam turned to face the helm

"Come here!"

They obeyed without question, although Bobby looked highly annoyed.

The stood by Calliope as they looked to the hunter.

"Wake up! You don't get to sleep all morning," Jack ordered

Sam nodded and Bobby stayed put, his arms folded on defiance.

"Dean, you forget that I'm also a captain of this ship." he said

"Part time, co-captain, Bobby; a title you share with Sam. So really, you're Part time assistant to the co-captain/first mate." Dean replied, trying not to laugh

"So I've been told." Bobby said, dryly

"I'm only joking, Bobby! Oh! You haven't been properly introduced!" Dean said, letting go of the railing and sauntering over to Calliope

"Bobby Singer, this is Calliope McKenna. Calliope, Bobby." he said, patting her on the back

"Nice to meet you." she said quietly, intimidated by the look of the man

"Same."

"You two are gonna be wonderful friends" Dean said, Laughing and punching Bobby on the shoulder

"How about we see if this town has some food?" Dean asked


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: Sorry for the late update! I've been busy. I realize it's never really been clear how to pronounce Calliope's name. It's said "Cuh-lye-oh-pee". Anyway enjoy and review!**

The next couple of days were a bit of a blur for Calliope. She had been given a new set of clothes so that she could, respectfully, shed the police outfit. She now wore one of Sam's plaid shirts, a pair of Dean's jeans that had to be cinched at her wait with a belt and boots. The fact that she was wearing men's clothing didn't bother her one bit, they were actually quite liberating.

They had now relocated to Bobby's house, which was quite a new expirence for Calliope. Books with Latin incantations lined the walls and drawings of devils traps and monsters littered the floor. But still, it was a nice change from the dull scenery of motel room walls.

She had been fully introduced to Sam and Bobby by now; Sam was a bit outraged that Dean didn't mention Calliope in his letter, but Bobby seemed fine with her tagging along.

Sam was very tall, and he looked like he was in need of a haircut. Bobby was short like Calliope and had very little hair on top of his head; he seemed to be the leader because he spoke most of the time.

They were constantly attending to Calliope, asking her if she needed anything and if she was feeling alright. She always told the hunters she was just fine.

But some days she lied. Some days Calliope felt so utterly alone, unable to contain her grief at her father's death. But she never showed it; she reserved a time for outward mourning, at night when no one was around to watch her breakdown. Dean was mostly busy looking at books, recording data into his father's journal; she ached for his company but never bothered him.

Calliope was gazing out the living room window one night, her head in her hands and her elbows resting on the back of the couch, the moon was hiding behind clouds and the only light was from the? lamps. She peered into the vast darkness that was the sky and wondered if demons existed, if angels did too. She wondered if they were looking down at her, and if they were, what were they thinking? The sky was a bit more foggy than usual, she noted.

"What are you doing up so late?" Dean asked, suddenly by her side

She turned and felt her face brighten considerably.

"Nothing, really." she replied

"Gazing at the moon, eh?"

She nodded her head and Dean turned so that his back was against the couch, taking a sip of beer.

"We're about to set off to Nebraska. Should be there in a few days." He mumbled, "I've been noticing that Sam and Bobby have taken a liking to you. "

"I suppose, they have been very kind to me."

"How are you doing, Callie?" He asked, changing the subject, "With your father and all?"

Calliope sighed, and turned as Dean had.

"Some days...I don't even know what to do with myself." she answered

Dean took a heavy swig of beer and nodded his head.

"It's a good thing I came back for you that night, you'd be dead, no doubt."

"Why did you come back, Dean?" she asked quietly, fearing the answer

"Well I couldn't leave you, could I? I admit, I wasn't planning on it until I really thought about how awful I would feel if I did leave you. It was my conscience speaking really, didn't know I had one 'til the other day."

Calliope smiled at the hunter, he was an odd one. She looked up to the sky and again noticed the absence of the moon. The clouds were thick and dark, and she thought she spotted lighting.

"Looks like a storm." Dean commented, looking up as well.

As if on cue, they saw a few raindrops plop onto the window. Dean turned to Calliope and smiled.

"It's gonna be a long night." he said, sauntering off towards the kitchen.

Within a matter of seconds the raindrops became bigger, pelting the window in front of Calliope. She heard the crack of thunder above her, as the sky lit up underneath the cloud cover. The rain became heavier, dumping onto the house and shaking it about.

She rushed to the kitchen, next to Dean.

"How bad is it going to get?" she asked.

"It's gonna be a monster, I can feel it." Dean replied, looking at the sky.

"Sam!" Dean called as the giant who was on watch at the kitchen window ran to Dean

"Yes?"

"Go wake Bobby up, tell him it's a nasty one."

Sam nodded his head and ran away, thunder and lightning proceeding. Calliope felt the house rock back and forth and heard it groan and creak, the rain literally coming down in buckets now.

"I want you to bunker up in my bedroom upstairs, I won't be able to keep an eye on you with all the madness that's about to ensue." he yelled to Calliope. Books were beginning to fall and rattle off every bookshelf.

"I'll be fine!" she replied

"Go, Calliope." He yelled back, "I'm not playing games with you right now, just get upstairs and if by some random happenstance you are needed, you'll be fetched. Go."

Calliope nodded her head.

"You'll be ok?"

Dean turned to look at her, shadows falling down his face as he smiled charmingly.

"Callie, really, I'm Dean Winchester. Now go!"

Calliope obeyed, clamoring up the steps and turning the corner to Dean's bedroom. She opened the doors and shut the behind her as thunder shook the house. It was dark and she fumbled around, looking for a lightswitch.

She found it in the corner of the room and flipped it on; the room illuminated. She looked around; she hadn't been in Dean's bedroom before. She noticed the papers, books, maps and salt strewn about his desk. She jumped a bit when she heard yelling below but her eyes continued to roam.

She ran her hands along the papers on his desk, admiring his penmanship; how his letters looped and curled. She smiled at the thought of him sitting and writing. Calliope then let her eyes roam to little built in cubbyhole along the wall, she and saw that it was filled with books.

She read some of their spines; Shakespeare's 'Hamlet', 'Arabian Nights' by Anthony Galland, Daniel Defoe's 'Robinson Crusoe' and 'The Storm'. 'Don Quixote' by Miguel De Cevontes, and Jane Austen's 'Persuasion'.

Calliope smiled and picked up the Jane Austen novel, turning it in her hands. He must have bought, or stole, a copy after he read it at her home all those years ago. She set the book back down and went over the titles again. Such wonderful works, in a demon hunter's room. He had to be intelligent to read these books, and intelligent he was.

She moved across the room as it poured and thundered outside with men shouting to one another below. She sat down on his bed, which was not at all uncomfortable. She lay down, resting her head against the pillow that held Dean's head every-night. She snuggled into his blankets breathed in his sent; beer, salt and what seemed to be oranges. It was a lovely sent.

She wondered how many women had lain in this bed with Dean. How many women had Dean kissed, whispered sweet nothings to, made love to in this very bed? The thought made her ill and she sat up, still clutching the blankets to her. She felt the house rock back and forth in massive waves and heard men yelling. She prayed Dean was all right. She suddenly felt tired.

She forgot about any previous women, turned off the light, and laid back down, her tangled curls splayed against the pillow. Calliope imagined she was laying next to Dean, his fingertips running along her arm, gently, as he whispered to her.

"You're lovely." she imagined him saying

She would smile and he would lean into her, kissing her softly, pulling her closer to him. She would nuzzle against his chest and fall asleep blissfully.

She often imagined scenarios such as this to help her get to sleep; it always worked. She fell asleep in Dean's bed as the storm raged on outside for hours. Finally, when it died down, the boys fell asleep on the couches downstairs, not caring about the horrible mess around them.

Calliope woke when she heard Dean enter his cabin, but she didn't let him know she was awake, her eyes were open just enough to see him and early morning light streamed through the large windows. He sauntered in, damp and tired and hung his jacket up on a peg by the door. He sat on the edge of the bed, knowing full well that Calliope was sleeping there. He kicked off his boots, removed his never ending supply of effects, and slipped his shirt off, tossing it on the floor.

Calliope felt her heart beat quicker as he stood up and sleepily walked to the other side of his bed, crawling in beside her. He didn't seem to care that she was there, all he wanted was sleep. She felt him, his back to her and heard his breathing even out until he was asleep. It was a rather tight fit, they were almost touching. She didn't dare move for fear of waking him.

She studied the tattoo on his chest, the one she had asked about years ago. It was some kind of symbol, she remembered. She refrained from reaching out to touch the black ink and instead froze as Dean changed position and laid on his back so that she could see his face, the one she had so often admired.

The lips she would love to kiss, the straight sloping nose, strong jaw. Lord, he was beautiful and she ached to touch him. But she knew not to and so she looked up at the ceiling instead to cut out temptation. She never fell back sleep, she just stared up and thought about Anne and Fredrick and the thirteen years that had kept them apart.

Anne never stopped loving the Captain, not one minute, not one second during those thirteen years. She thought about this for what seemed like hours.

She felt Dean shift in his sleep and she froze again until he righted himself. He mumbled something incoherent and she smiled widely, holding in a giggle. She sat up slowly, so as not to wake him, tiptoed across the floor and slipped out the door.

The air was humid downstairs, and she could still smell rain. It was bit foggy, but she could see. She looked up to see Bobby straighting the room up.

"Good morning, Bobby!" she shouted, waving to him

"Calliope." he said, nodding his head in her general direction

"Good morning!" she heard someone cheerily call behind her

Calliope turned and smiled at Sam who was sitting on a box, going over the red lines that had been used to create a devils trap on the floor.

"Good morning, Sam." she replied, sitting on a box next to him

"Did that God awful storm keep you awake?" he asked, not lifting his eyes from his work

"No, I actually slept well."

"Good, good! Would you mind helping me out with something?"

She shook her head.

"No, I wouldn't mind at all."

"Would you mind finishing this for me? There's a lot of work to be done. The rain seeped in through the roof last night and faded most of the paint of the devils trap." he declared

"Of course."

He handed her the paint bucket along with the brush. She worked silently, painting first a star then a circle. She felt part of the hunters just then, as if she was contributing to something, earning her keep.

She concentrated on her work as she quietly sang a song she had heard someone singing on the radio a few days earlier.

Calliope noticed Sam and Bobby scurrying around in the kitchen; fixing damaged goods, patching the celeing , and yelling at each other. Loudly yelling...

"It's not like Dean forced the storm upon us." Bobby screeched

"All I'm saying is, if he hadn't brought that girl aboard, the whole thing may have been avoided." Sam spat back.

"A girl ain't going to affect the weather, ya idjit!"

The two men continued their chores, glaring at each other.

"Good morning,!" Dean said, sitting on the box with Calliope.

"Good morning, Dean." she replied

"I see Sam has found something for you to do, eh? Mess up yet?" he chuckled

"Only once."

"Well good job! Yer doing better than Gibbs!." he said, giving her a thumbs up

She smiled at him as he sauntered away, towards the kitchen. She knew she was staring, and that it was impolite, but she loved to look at him.

"What you staring at, Callie?"

Calliope jumped and turned to see Bobby relaxing up against the wall next to her, a half eaten apple in his hand.

"Bobby you startled me." she said

"Sorry." he replied, half-heartedly

"So, Miss. McKenna," Bobby started, "Exactly how long have you known Dean?"

She thought about it for a moment, setting her work aside.

"Well, a few years. I met him when I was sixteen, and ever since I have met him on and off. But, specifically, maybe five years." she said, tucking her red blonde hair behind her ear

"Ah. And exactly how long have ye been in love with him?" he asked, smirking

"What?" she squeaked, "I...I don't...love him. That's absurd! He's just my friend! Why would you...he is my...we are just..pshhh. Love him? That's so...not even true..."

Calliope fumbled for the words, panicking.

Bobby smiled sweetly and patted her arm.

"It's alright. I know."

She sighed and covered her face with her hands.

"Is it that obvious?" she whispered

"Afraid so." Barbossa said

Calliope whimpered.

"Does Sam know?" she asked

"Mostly."

She stared up in horror at the man.

"Does Dean know?"

"Dean wouldn't know if someone loved him if she said it to his face." Bobby snorted, "He is pretty clueless."

Calliope let out a sigh.

"You won't tell him, will you?" she asked, twirling piece of hair around her finger

Bobby looked her with a raised eyebrow and scoffed.

"No, that would only make matters worse." he said

Calliope gave him a questioning look and shook her head.

"Why?"

"Because Dean is a womanizer, it's odd enough that he hasn't made a move on you yet!"

She felt her face fall. A womanizer? Hadn't made a move? If he had been with a lot of women, something must be wrong with her, something that would prevent or stop Dean from being attracted to her. She wasn't good enough for the likes of Dean Winchester. She might as well stop loving him, if it was at all possible.


	27. STORY ON HOLD FOR A WHILE

So sorry I haven't been updating for a long time. It's the end of the semester, and I've been really busy with grades and tests. "Kiss It All Better" will be on hold from today until next Saturday, because I'm going on vacation and I will not have my laptop with me to finish it. Thanks for your understanding and support.

Love as always,

hollyandhearts 3


End file.
